Fairy Tail: The Sequel
by Tyoung32
Summary: The sequel to the White Eclipse arc. Six months have passed since the apocalypse. Everything was back to normal in Fiore, except for some minor changes...
1. Chapter 1

Fairy Tail: The sequel

Chapter 1: Pilot.

Exactly six months have passed since Natsu and the mages survived the apocalypse created by Zeref and the attack by the dragon Acnologia. Everything seemed to have reverted back to it's normal routines as Magnolia was rebuilt surprisingly fast thanks to the help of the mages. Everything was back into it's normal swing, except for a few "minor" changes.  
>Natsu and Mirajane walk down the main street of Magnolia, blending in with the crowds of people waking past and away from them. The pink haired mage was carrying two full brown bags full of groceries with a look of annoyance as Mirajane kept her cheery smile. "I'm still not used to it." Natsu huffed out. "He wasn't even there, and we did all the work. Why doesn't anyone believe the truth!?"<br>"Keep your voice down, Natsu." Mirajane says with her patented smile. "You don't want to start another uproar."  
>The dragon slayer snarls a bit as he readjusted the bags in his hands. "But Mira, why is he a hero? He tried to kill us all, and he didn't fight Zeref or Acnologia! He didn't even fight a single demon!"<br>"Hey!" A random council guard who was patrolling the streets caught whim of Natsu's statement and quickly made his way over to the two Fairy Tail mages. "I know you're not soiling our hero's name /again/ are you, Natsu Dragneel!?"  
>A wave of silence quickly surrounded the area as all eye fell on Natsu and the council guard now standing merely feet away from each other. A sly grin came across Natsu's face, but before he could respond, Mirajane stepped in between them both, smiling sincerely towards the council soldier. "He isn't. We're sorry for any inconvenience sir. We're leaving anyways to head back to the guild, so you won't hear from us the rest of the day."<br>"Mira." Natsu shuffled the bags around his hands as he watched her and the guard in front of her. The random soldier gave her a quick look over, and then turned his head as he began to walk away. "I better not. You Fairy Tail mages are always trouble. Our savior is a busy man, we don't have time to keep these streets clean with your dirty Fairy Tail paws all over them."  
>"What did you-"<br>Natsu was close to snapping, yet Mirajane stopped him once again as she fought to keep the smile on her face. "I understand, we'll be leaving now. Come Natsu." The takeover mage bows to the guard, and then begins walking away with Natsu following seconds after.  
>"That's what I'm talking about!" Natsu exclaimed again. "He didn't even do anything!"<br>"Natsu..if Fiore and EarthLand want to give Siegrain the credit for defeating Zeref and Acnologia, then let them. We all know what you did, and everyone is safe. That's all that matters to us." She turned to the Dragon Slayer and gave him a soft, endearing smile before turning back around. "We aren't about taking credit anyways, you know that."  
>"Yeah but..." Natsu lowered his head, finally giving in to the debate.<br>"Now, lets get back to the guild so I can finish preparing everything."  
>"Aye.."<p>

.

I'm...EXHAUSTED!" Luke gasped for air as he fell to his back in the snow. The others were already there, panting and gasping for air as Cygnus brings up the rear, face planting into the snow. It was another snowy day in the mountains as the White Eclipse members all laid in front of Reve and Taya. Taya stood with her arms crossed as Reve held his on his hips, tapping his foot until Cygnus finished. "You clowns can't be exhausted already? We only have about five months until the next Grand Magic Games. Come on, this is just a warmup."  
>"Screw...your warmup." Takeru huffed out as he continued to pant, holding himself up on his hands and knees.<br>Zalen stood up, but held himself up by propping his hands on his knees, feeling more than exhausted as he huffed continuously. "At least it's Reve and not Sidney. At times like this, I'm glad he went back to traveling."  
>"What can be worse than this?" Kairi asked as her and Selene used each other as support.<br>"You don't wanna know." Waiston replied as he and Jaxon did the same, holding each other up as they struggled to regain their breath.  
>"Alright, enough talk. Now that cardio is out the way. We can... Oh wait, we have a few stragglers it seems." Reve says as he peers behind the group. Trudging behind, was a girl with long dark pink, nearly red hair, and blue eyes. On her left shoulder, she held the White Eclipse guild mark. Just in front of her were two more girls. One of them had much lighter pink hair and blue eyes with her guild mark located on her left hand. The other, who led the stragglers, had long, red-violet hair and plum colored eyes.<br>Finally, bringing up the rear, was a young male. He had black hair, matching his black eyes. He was the last one to finish as he panted heavily along with the rest of them.  
>"Shizuku, Asamì, Saeko, and Almaz...all in that order." Taya says as she slightly shakes her head.<br>"Okay, is everyone here now? Where's Clover?" Reve asked.  
>"Clover's right there." Taya pointed. Clover waved as he sat in the snow next to Kuro and Heather. The dark red haired, green eyed mage gave a grin as Reve looked his way.<br>"Well then, looks like not all of our newbies are slack." The gunslinger commented.  
>"Reve is so cool!" Almaz saysto himself, yet loud enough for the newbies with him to hear. "...He just dissed us." Shizuku added as she side-eyed the fanboy. Reve then cleared his throat to speak once again. "Like I was saying, now that cardio is over, you'll all pair up and spar. Different partners then yesterday of course. Variety will help a lot in your improvement, and don't forget to keep up with your win-loss record."<br>As Reve continued drilling the guild members, inside the guild, past the unconscious drunk known as Jack Royal, and down the hall, inside the the last door at the end of the hallway, Master Calium and Aira sat inside. Aira just entered moments ago with a tray of assorted pills with a glass of water and placed them on the stand next to the bed that the old guild master laid on. After performing a coughing fit, Calium turned to the young wind mage with a smile as he picked up a pill. "Thank you, Aira."  
>"You don't have to thank me everyday, Master. Just feel better." The wind mage Aira replied.<br>"But I do have to thank you, for taking care of all the responsibilities around here while I've been feeling a but under the weather."  
>Aira frowned a bit. "You know I don't like it when you try to sugarcoat your illness, Master." She retorted. Calium simply smiled as he swallowed his pill, then chased it with his water. "Reve is being a hard ass to the guild members huh?"<br>"Yeah... He really wants to win next year's Grand Magic Games." Aira then stood up to avoid the small talk from Calium's subject change. "I'm going to see how their doing. Call me if you need anything."  
>The guild master nods as Aira walks out, closing the door behind her.<p>

.

The three captains, Layanna and Doranbolt walked down the hall, heading towards Seigrain's main office. Lahar held in his hands a small yellow file as he walked with his peers, passing the saluting soldiers that held their post. The blonde haired captain of the third division, Correll, huffed loudly as he placed his hands on the back of his head, interlocking his fingers. "I'm anxious. He better give us the okay to do this finally."  
>Odin, the brown haired, bearded captain of the second division sighed a bit as he walked with the others. "I'm not, this can turn out to be a disastrous idea. We aren't expendable."<br>"Where's your risky side Odin?" Correll asked in a taunting manner.  
>"I left that in the past. Enjoy your youth, brat."<br>"I'm with Correll." Lahar stated. "We've had too many close calls in our lives already. We are walking on egg shells now."  
>"Blah blah blah." Correll mocks as he steps in front of the group, now walking as if he was the alpha. "You old men are bringing me down. No ones watching over us, we're just living. No one can kill the immortal, you feel me?" The blonde haired mage grinned at his own statement as they turned into a lone hallway. Doranbolt and Layanna stayed quiet the entire time until they reached the main office. Corell swung open the door as he yelled. "Siegrain-Senpai!" Inside, Siegrain was waiting along with Ultear, and the new first division captain, whose face still couldn't be seen as he stood in the shadows behind the dim lighting inside the office. Everyone bows to the "Hero of Fiore" and the new captain before the Lahar handed the blue haired council leader the file. "Sir Siegrain, here's the list of guilds who are willing to participate. The list is a bit shorter than anticipated..."<br>As Lahar spoke, Siegrain opened the file as was already looking over the name of the guilds with a grin. "No, this is perfect. This is why we interviewed most of these names at first. I needed strong guilds that didn't have any emotional ties with /them./ Good job, now I have one simple task for you all to do, and that's to head back to these guilds, and let them know that tomorrow is their time. I'll send guards around Fiore to deliver the message to the public."  
>Everyone stood and nodded in agreement as Siegrain explained their objectives, and as the council leader slid each captain a file, they all grabbed their's and left. All except the mysterious man that was already in the office with Siegrain. "Well then, First Captain Tobias, it seems everything is coming together. Are you ready for a revolution upon these mages?"<br>Tobias steps out of the shadows as Siegrain leaned back into his seat, propping his feet up on the desk. "Yes sir. You know your loyal soldiers are with your decisions one hundred percent."  
>"Of course. Now, do me a favor and give the announcement to the guards. Tomorrow is the start of a big day, so I want the messages and flyers out all over Fiore by tonight."<br>Tobias bows. "Yes sir." He then heads out to do just what he was ordered, walking by each guard to deliver the message.  
>"It's great to be the hero." Siegrain says as he begins a sadistic laughter that echoed around the room continuously. "Welcome, the Siegrain era is finally here."<p>

.  
>By nightfall, the captains, along with Layanna and Doranbolt, had made their way around Fiore to nearly all the guilds who agreed to volunteer for what was coming. Passing out numerous flyers, council guards had visited every town and city in Fiore, relaying the same message and giving warnings to stay away if they were against what was coming.<br>"You expect us to not do anything!?" Sting yelled as he slammed both of his palms on the table, now facing Lahar eye to eye.  
>"All of the other guilds that ally themselves with Fairy Tail and White Eclipse have been warned. I'm just relaying the message to you all now. Stay away from both of them unless you plan to help capture them. If you're found aiding these two dark guilds-"<br>"Dark guilds!? Lahar are you blind or stupid!?" Sting interrupted. "They're the reason we're alive! Not Siegrain! You may have the world fooled, but the mages know the truth and that clown of a council leader isn't shit-"  
>"Enough!" Lahar roared, cutting the dragon slayer off. "You will not soil the name of Fiore's hero. Do it again and the men I have waiting outside will happily take this whole guild in." He looked around at the mages watching intently before speaking again. "Now, as I was saying. These two dark guilds were the sole reason why Zeref walked among us half a year ago, and if you're found aiding them, you too will be apprehended, clear?"<br>Sting didn't say a word as he snared towards the captain. "Good." The captain remarks as he turns to walk away. "I'm sure you know your place in all of this now, so stay there."

Correll made his way up a mountain side, much smaller than that of White Eclipse's. The mountain's were still snowy, but not that much as he could still see the grass and other plants sticking out from the ground. The blonde haired captain came up to a decent sized building. The name on the front, Twilight Zone. He would then walk up the few steps, and then knock on the door three times. As he waited, he could hear the muffled activities going on inside.

"Put him down!"  
>"Relax shorty! It's a dog, not a bug! I'm not going to hurt him!"<br>"Don't call me shorty you pirate!"

"Will both of you quit it?" Was the last muffled words heard as a short female opened the door to the guild. She had black hair that turned to green at the end. He green eyes matched her hair as she stood, staring at Correll before blinking. "Oh, I remember you from the interrogation."  
>"It was merely an interview really." Correll replied before he bowed. "Evanee Carlisle. Always a pleasantry seeing such a beauty."<br>"Cut the chit chat Correll, what do you need?"  
>"Heh, still the cold one." Correll grinned, and then handed her a file. "That's all the information you need, Ev."<br>Evanee then snatched the paper out of Correll's hands and began reading with an emotionless face. "Call me that again and I'll rip your throat out and let the dog eat it." After giving the file a brief look over she nodded. "Alright, anything else?"  
>Correll shook his head. "That'll be it."<br>"Just remember, Twilight Zone is only doing this because ever since Siegrain and the army have taken complete control, that it's near impossible for anyone to find a decent job. You have the world afraid of mages, and honestly, this isn't helping."  
>"Yeah yeah." The captain rolled his eyes. "Just go crazy tomorrow."<br>"See ya Correll." Evanee says as she closes the door behind her, leaving Correll outside as he begins to walk back down the mountain side.

.  
>Odin had made his way to the outskirts of Clover town. In front of him, was a well sized building with the sign Black Phoenix on the front. Just like Correll, as Odin neared the guild's door, all he could now here was the sound of rambunctious mages inside. He knocked a few times, then waited for someone to answer.<p>

"This isn't the sandwich I asked for twerp!"  
>"Master calm down! I'll make another!"<br>"Oi...I can never sleep with you people yelling."  
>"You're always sleeping. How can you sleep so much?"<p>

Slowly opening the door, was a man. He had dark blond hair and brown eyes and stood just about under six feet tall. "Hm? Odin. How can I help you?"  
>"Tristan Gareth. Here you are." Straight to the point, Odin hands Tristan the file. The mage opens the folder and scans through it quickly. "So it's happening huh? That's a shame, but money has to be made."<br>Odin nods. "I came here personally, because I know Black Phoenix will be the one with the most captures. Not that it's a competition or anything, but with a guild master like yours... Your infamous sandwich ingredient fund can't be too high right now."  
>Tristan cracks a small smile. "You're not kidding. I'll notify the others. See you around Odin."<br>Tristan then closed the door as Odin began walking away.

.

The following morning, Lucy was seen tiptoeing the edge of the street that separated the ground from the canal. She was happily humming to herself as she was making her way to Fairy Tail. The blonde haired celestial mage then hopped down as she took back to the street, continuously humming as she marched along. Her marching and humming slowly came to a stop as she looked around while walking, realizing how people were cautiously staring at her. Most of them were holding a piece of paper in their hands. Murmurs and whispers gradually filed the clear Magnolian air as Lucy became more and more weary with everyone around her. "Why is everyone looking at me like I'm some kind of criminal?"  
>Just down the street, as Lucy slowly and cautiously made her way forward, a random, stocky and rugged male made his way out of the bar, gulping down the bottle in his hand before throwing it to the side. Behind him, two other guys walked out, a lot smaller than the massive man that walked out first.<br>"I'm telling you, this is the dawn of a new era! And I'll be famous within it! They may be mages, but I'll take them down with brute strength!" The bigger male roared. "Just point me to the nearest Fairy!"  
>"There you go, boss! She had the guild sign on her hand!" One of the smaller men pointed after spotting Lucy on the other side of the street. He pulled out a crumbled piece of paper from his pocket and scanned it over until spotting Lucy's face. "Oh ho! Twenty thousand jewel huh? Not much, but it's a start!"<br>"Well boss? Go get her!" The second of the two smaller men commanded.  
>"Shut up!" The bigger one yelled. "I run this group!" He then began walking towards Lucy nonchalantly. "Besides!" Before Lucy could turn around, the man grabbed both of her wrists. "Hey! What are you doing!?" Lucy squealed as he lifted her up slightly, causing her to dangle.<br>"She's just a celestial mage! She's useless if she can't get to her keys!"  
>The girth heavy male began laughing as Lucy kicked around, trying to break free. "Put me down! I didn't do anything to you!"<br>"No but you're going to make me twenty thousand jewel richer!" He roared as he continued laughing. "Come on. Lets collect what's ours and-"  
>Before the man could finish his sentence, a right fists slams into his jaw, causing him to drop Lucy right before the impact of the punch lifted the burly man off his feet and back across the street until he slammed against the bar wall. "B-Boss!" The two smallers yelled out. As they looked back, they began to shiver as Natsu and Happy stood across from them. Natsu was cracking his knuckles as Lucy made her way to her feet. "Natsu."<br>"Why are you attacking Lucy?" The dragon slayer asked in a demanding tone. The two began to shake and stutter, unable to give him an answer due to the fear. "Fools!" The bigger man yells as he makes his way back to his base. "There's three of us and two of them!"  
>"I'm here too!" Happy yelled as he raised a paw. "That won't be needed Happy. These guys are no trouble at all. I'll handle them alone."<br>"What did you say!?"  
>The pedestrians quickly clear out, giving room to the disturbance. The three then surround Natsu as the dragon slayer grins. He crouched a bit as he gestured them to come at him with both hands. "Well!? Lets go! I'm all fired up!"<p>

Just above, as Natsu was about to begin his brawl in the Magnolian streets, a shadowy figure stood unseen on the roof of the bar, watching intently.

Meanwhile, just in front of the White Eclipse guild, the members have just finished their cardio, once again exhausted as they all panted heavily; some falling to the ground comically as they gasped for air. "Just when we've gotten used to running one mountain, the hard ass makes us run three." Cygnus says in a whining tone. Reve laughs a bit to himself before straightening up in front of his guild mates. "Everyone here?"  
>Almaz stumbles in from behind, signifying himself as the last person as he face plants into the snow, then giving a thumbs up as he let out a muffled "here!"<br>"Alright. Once again, you're going to partner up and spar. Different partners as always, and keep count...of your..." Reve's words trail off as he begins to squint past the guild members and into the blinding snowfall. Eyes were on Reve as Taya leaned towards him. "You okay gunslinger?" The dark vector mage asked.  
>Reve's precision eyes began to shift every which way as he stayed quiet for a few seconds. A small grin then etched upon his face. "Change of plans. It's time for your first scrimmage."<br>"Huh?" The mages looked at one another with confused expressions, then back at the grinning guns requip mage.  
>"It seems that we have company." Reve said as he nodded his head forward. The mages turned around, and spotted now visible figures running towards them. "I don't know how many they are, but they aren't White Eclipse so you shouldn't have any problem with them."<br>"Finally!" Almaz yelled as he leaped to his feet as if he was never tired. "Time to be a real hero! Stand back and watch an earth mage in action!"  
>As they came into view, a bunch of random mages roared as they ran towards the guild, well armed. "I don't know why they're attacking us, but that gives me reason to fight without question." Takeru days as he rotates his shoulder.<br>"Lets do it then, amigos." Luke pridefully spoke as he stood in an ice make stance.  
>Upon further scanning, Reve realized that more were coming from the back as well. "Okay split up into two groups! Girls take the back, the boys here. First one to finish is excused from the next workout without being penalized. What are you waiting on? We never give our opponents any ground!"<br>"Lets go!" Skye yelled as she, Taya, Kairi and Heather lead the girls to the back of the guild.  
>"Luke, aren't you supposed to be headed to the back?" Reve said with a grin as he walked to the front of the male group.<br>"Funny." The copy cat muttered with an unamused expression.  
>"Alright fellas. It's White Eclipse or second place." The gunslinger recited as he requiped two pistols into his hands. The mages drew near as Reve pointed towards them. "Shoot em down!"<p>

As White Eclipse charged to protect their home against the random mages, a few figures sat on the roof of White Eclipse, watching the fights unfold.  
>"Ugh...I don't appreciate being pulled out of bed."<br>"You're always sleeping. Suck it up and do this for the guild."  
>"He's gotta point."<br>"So what, there's five of us and like twenty of them. How are we supposed to succeed in this?"  
>"There's actually six of us. He'll/ be here shortly.  
>"Alright. You're the leader, Tristan."<br>Tristan's face comes into clearance as he nods. He continues to watch the fight intently. "It's for the guild, so remember, when the time comes, fight like the name of Black Phoenix is on the line."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Three Aces and a Magician

He walked towards the council building, unseen by any guard as he kept his distance away from their vision. Though he wore a hooded cloak, his build was still noticeably huge. A bulky male, with black hair edging out of a green mask. The only thing else that could be seen under his cloak, was his black gloves that covered his hands completely. He continued walking until he came to an abrupt stop at the top of a small hill. Still unseen, he deemed that spot to be as close as he was going to get before he was spotted by the heavily armed building. He sat down as his eyes stayed glued to the council headquarters. "Heh, I know he doesn't remember anything, but how did he become a captain out of all things? Siegrian's work I'm sure. He may be the hardest to retrieve. Oh well, I'll just see how long it takes for him to be alone."

.

Wendy sat outside of the guild on a single well sized stone as Charla stood in front of her. The little sky dragon hummed a soft tune as she say outside, enjoying the nice sunny morning. "What's got you in such good spirits?" Charla asked her dragon slayer. "Huh? I'm always in a good mood Charla?" Wendy replied. "And besides, it's such a great day outside, I don't know how anyone can still be in the guild right now."  
>Charla nods, then turns back to the scenery that was the guild's front yard. "I guess you're right, it is a nice day out." Charla smiled seconds later from her admiration of the clear day. As she smiled, she recognized someone walking towards them both. "Is someone expecting a visitor here?"<br>"Huh?" Wendy looked up to see, Evanee, the Ace of Twilight Zone walk towards her and the guild. Unsure of what she wanted, Wendy gave her the benefit of the doubt and smiled until she was in a comfortable range to speak to her without yelling. "Hi!" The blue haired child waved. "Welcome to Fairy Tail! Are you...looking..for.." Wendy's words trail off as Evanee walks right past her. "Hey!" Charla raised her voice towards the Ace. "She was talking to you, and you can't just go barging into other guilds!"  
>Wendy stood up from her rock, ready to follow Evanee inside, but as she jumped down, a yellow blur zoomed right past her, causing her to stumble backwards. She continued to stumble backwards until she bumped into a man with orange hair and green eyes; an eye patch over his right eye. The man stood with his arms crossed, standing a whopping six feet eight inches tall. Wendy turned to look up at the man. "Sup, shorty?"<p>

.

"Ice make: Freeze Lancer!"  
>"Fire make: Tornado!"<br>"Gravity God's Bellow!"  
>The three separate attacks from Luke, Kuro and Cygnus took out their own respective groups as the boys continued to protect the front of the guild. The number of random mages attacking was abnormally large, slowly causing more fatigue on White Eclipse. Not to mention the morning training they've just been through. Still, the mages continued fighting as Takeru slid under a right hook thrown by a mage. He would then wrap his shadow magic around his own fist and slam a right uppercut into the mage's chin. As the random mage goes soaring into the air and out of concern, five more quickly charge and surround Takeru. The shadow dragon slayer holds his ground with a grin, but before he could make a move, he now shared the spotlight as Waiston slid right by one of the attackers and now stood behind his guild mate. As Waiston raised his right leg, a light blue magic seal appeared under him. He would then stomp his right leg onto the circle, causing a ring of glaciers to appear under the surrounding mages. The glaciers sent the mages flying away from them. Waiston gave another grin to Takeru as the mages fell into the snow. Tak returns it as they run their separate ways to take on more mages. Behind the entire group, Reve stood with two of his celestial pistols in hand, picking off any mages who somehow got loose from the brawl in front of him. He continued shooting, taking out mage after mage as he let the other mages do the heavy lifting in the free for all. As he took out a few more mages, Jack Royal, who was previously passed out at the bar inside the guild, walks out with a sleepy expression on his face. He rubbed his eye as he yawned a bit. "Oi! Reve! Come on man, people are trying to sleep here!"<br>"Go back to drinking you blowhard!" Reve yelled back at his long time friend and guild mate. "Some people are trying to train out here!"  
>"You're gonna wear em out..." Jack's words trail off as he looks at his surroundings. He notices the brawl going on in the distance and gives a smirk. "Oh it's that kind of training today? I'm gonna watch this."<br>He took a seat on the last step connected to the guild as he continued watching the ensuing brawl.  
>In the back of the guild, looking out the window was Aira. She placed her right hand on her cheek as she watched the girls dominate the random mages outside. "That looks fun. I've really become complacent after doing nothing but taking after Master Calium over this time. Ugh look at me." She picked up a small mirror beside her and began giving herself a look over. She frowned at her blonde hair sitting in a messy bun and the clothes she had on. "I look like the housekeeper." She sighed. She then returned her view back to the window.<br>Outside, the women of White Eclipse have their share of the random mages. "Claymore!" Skye yelled as she unsheathed her sword, slicing and diving her way through the mages. Once she slid to a stop, the mages she ran by fall over in a delayed reaction, face first into the snow. Kairi runs by her, taking on the next swarm of mages. Without using her takeover, she slams a roundhouse kick into the temple of a random male, then leg sweeps another. She stomps on the chest of that mage as she smirks at the rest of the incoming wave. Kairi would then left her palm, creating a mage's circle. From that circle, she would then fire a plethora of air bullets into the mages' chest. They all fall to the ground from the powerful shots as Kairi turns back to Skye with a thumbs up and a smile. A bit ways away from them, Selene stood with a grin as she surrounded herself with mages.  
>"She's mine!" A random mage yelled, and his fist turned into stone as he lunged for her. He rears his fist back and then slams it into Selene's head, but the diamond dragon slayer stands there unaffected. She would then give a grin as the man removed his fist in shock, noticing a diamond coating where his fist landed. The man backed away in fear as Selene's grin widened. She would then quickly inhale the air around her, and then fire a Diamond Dragon's Roar, taking out the circle of mages that surrounded her with ease.<br>Taya then flew past Selene, riding on one of her dark vectors as ten more followed her lead. The vectors rammed through countless mages as she continued surfing past them, easily taking them out. She continued her trail, until she was forced to come to an abrupt halt. Now in front of her, was a cloud of purple smoke. All that could be heard inside the thick cloud of smoke was the sound of coughing and bodies dropping. Taya shook her head with a small smile as she saw Heather, the poison dragon slayer, walk out with her arms crossed. "Can we wrap this up?" Heather asked in a demanding tone. "I would actually fancy a break from Reve's stupid daily training."  
>"Same." Kairi added.<br>The girls continued their onslaught upon the intruders, quickly taking them out as the boys did the same.  
>"Done!" Both sides yelled out simultaneously. "Well...this is a predicament huh?" Reve stated as the two sides looked towards each other. "Indeed." Taya added in. "It seems we finished at the same time."<br>"So what does this mean?" Luke asked as he stood by an uninterested Takeru. "It's a tie!" Kuro yelled. "I know that Kuro. I meant what's the result now that it's a tie?"  
>Reve grinned and snapped his fingers once. "You know what, we'll all just have to take the day off. Sound good?" "Thank heavens man." Waiston sighed out. "This training is too crucial. I've been working so hard that I can even tell if I'm improving because everything hurts."<br>"Actually..I have a better way to break the tie."  
>Reve quickly turns to look up towards the roof of the guild to see who was speaking. There stood Tristan Gareth with his arms crossed and a small grin on his face.<br>"Hm? Another mage?" Reve questioned.  
>"He must of came from your side." Taya quickly added in. "My girls handled theirs." "We were actually watching the whole time. We didn't participate in that horrible free for all."<br>"We?" Reve gave Tristan a confused look...until his precision eyes caught someone beside him. The young male sat up and began reaching for the sky in a stretch and yawn. He had long black hair with matching black eyes. He wore a black cloak also. "Is it time?" The mage asked with a sleepy voice. He scratched his back as he smacked his lips together a few times, trying to wake up. Tristan face-palmed as he shook his head. "Yeah, Hitomi...it's time."  
>As Hitomi stood, two more mages now stood behind the White Eclipse ground in the snow. One girl that stood there had brown hair and emerald color eyes. She stood with her left hand on her hip and a cold expression towards her targets. The other male that stood beside her, had white hair that fell a little past his shoulders and yellowish eyes. "Lyra,<br>Mathias, where are is-"  
>"Right here Tristan, relax." To the left of White Eclipse, stood a male with white-ish hair. He stood a bit under six feet and had purplish-red eyes that were covered by clear glasses. "Ah, Trinity." Tristan grinned as he turned back to Reve and the others. The gunslinger grinned back towards him. "You know there's only five of you right? And there's too many of us. Plus you'll just fall like the other unconscious mages around you."<br>Tristan and the other mages began laughing at the gunslinger's comment. "You really comparing Black Phoenix to these wimps that you've beaten? Big mistake." Lyra boasted. "Like I said!" Reve shouted. "There's only five of you wimps, against all of us, even though we're tired you're still no match."  
>"Wait! There's six!" A voice shouted as a figure ran towards where everyone stood. Tristan smiled. "Ah yes. Finally? It's L- why are you here!? Where's-"<br>The figure now showed to be another female. She had black hair and silver eyes. "/He/ decided to take a different target. What's wrong Tristan? Not happy to see your fellow Ace, Serenity?"  
>"Wait... What do you mean fellow Ace?" Taya asked as she folded her arms.<br>"Yeah!" Almaz shouted for no reason at all, causing the others to look at him with a sardonic expression.  
>Serenity keeps a cold expression as she points to the rooftop. "Up there, is Tristan, Ace of Black Phoenix and Iron Make Mage." She then pointed to herself. "And I'm Serenity, Dark Demon slayer and also an SS class mage of Black Phoenix."<br>"DEMON SLAYER!?" The entire guild shouted in shock and awe.  
>"Shit! I thought only Daityas and Arc had such magic!" Takeru says as he now takes a defensive stance as the other Black Phoenix Mages surround them. "This just got a lot harder.." Kuro mumbles. "Two aces...and Sidney isn't here."<br>"Not to mention Master is sick." Kairi added. "Still, there's way more of us than them!"  
>"Kairi's right!" Jaxon exclaimed. "We can take em." "Oh you think so?" Serenity scoffed. "If you really want to go down with a fight, then it's a fight you'll get."<p>

.

"Ughhhh..." The three men that attacked Lucy earlier now laid on the ground, unable to move from the beating they just took from the Salamander himself. Happy and Lucy stood behind Natsu with a smile on their faces. "You alright Lucy?" Natsu asked the celestial mage. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks again!" Natsu returned the nod with a smile. "You were headed to the guild right? Me and Happy were on the way to get you. Are you ready to go?"  
>"Mhm!" She nodded again excitedly as she ran up to the Fire Dragon slayer, now standing beside him. "Lets go!"<br>"Aye!" Happy yelled as he hopped up to their waist level with a paw in the air so he could be seen.

As the three started walking off, the figure on the roof watched them. "So that's Natsu Dragneel. Piece of cake." He stood from the shadows. The now revealed man stood about six feet, two inches tall. He had blue eyes and black hair. On top of his head, he wore a top hat, that balance on the front right side of his head. He wore a normal black suit as well. "Well Evanee-Senpai, I hope you and the others are handling the guild, because Rylo Yutaka is about to take out their wild card." As Rylo perched himself at the edge of the roof and ready to jump, he quickly stopped as he noticed someone else walking towards Natsu and Lucy at a decent pace. He couldn't make out his face because the man had on a cloak with the hood covering his head. His black hair was evident though. "What's this?" Rylo decided to hang back as he watched the male carefully.  
>Natsu Lucy and Happy now walked the empty street of Magnolia. The pedestrians stood off to the side, away from the mages as if they were real criminals. The three fairy tail members looked around as the civilians cowered from them. "What is with everyone now?" Natsu asked aloud.<br>"I don't know." Lucy replied. "It was like this earlier too. They all shied away from me as I was walking through before those guys attacked me." "The guards are missing too." Happy added. "Hey look! There's a guy that's not afraid of us!" Happy pointed to the male in the cloak. He finally made his way to the three and stopped in front of them. "Natsu Dragneel.." The male called out.  
>"Hm? That's me." Natsu replied. "Who are you?"<br>"Just a man trying to help his guild in need." The cloaked male then reared his arm back and then swung it forward, unleashing a line of green magic towards the three. "Look out!" Natsu yelled as he pushed Lucy out the way and causing her to yelp in the process. Natsu took the blunt of the blow and crashed into the ground away from the celestial mage. "Hey! What was that for!?" Happy shouted. Natsu quickly jumped to his feet, holding his chest. As he removed his hand, he and the others realized that the shirt was being eaten away by what seemed like acid. "What is that?!" Lucy asked in a panic.  
>"Acid." Rylo says to himself as he watched from the rooftop.<br>"Who are you!?" Natsu says as he winced in pain from the acid against his skin and clothes.  
>The male in front of him stood still for a few seconds, and then slowly pulled the hood off of his head. "My name is Leon, Acid Dragon Slayer of Black Phoenix, and I'm here to challenge you...<p>

For your freedom."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: It isn't an option.

"Man!" The large beast takeover mage Elfman roared out. He stood in the middle of the guild flexing yet stretching out his arms and gaining the attention of the other mages around him. "Today has been especially boring! That's not manly at all!" Gray, who unwillingly sat next to Juvia gave Elfman a sardonic look as he turned to him. "Elfman it's not even noon yet." Mirajane nodded her head in agreement. "I'm with Gray on this one, the day just started." "Pipe down! It's too early!" Cana yelled from the bar as she lifted a barrel of booze to her lips, hoisting it backwards to begin downing the contents. "It's too early for drinking." Erza replied as she shook her head at the card mage. She then turned back to Mirajane. "Mira, did master say when he was going to be back?"  
>"Hai, tomorrow." The white haired female replied. "It's strange though, I've never known a master to council meeting to take so long."<br>"That's the sketchy part." Erza replies. "Siegrain and his new world order attitude still bothers me, to every last detail." "Don't let Natsu hear you talking about that guy." Gray replied. "You know the flame head can't stand him." Erza nodded to Gray's words. She then looked around again. "And where's Levy?"  
>Jet and Droy lowered their heads as Jet quietly spoke. "You know where she is."<p>

She stood in front of a grave that was surrounded by others. She gave a small smile as she squeezed the little paw of Pantherlily. "It's been six months, but for some reason, it feels like it just happened. Then, it feels like you're not even gone. I still remember how you saved us all...Gajeel. I miss you, but you're haunting me.." A strong wind blows as Levy and Lily bow their heads over the grave of the Iron Dragon Slayer. "That's really touching." The voice that spoke caused Levy and Lily to perk back up. They looked on, Levy in shock and Lily in anger as they saw a yellow haired male standing on the tombstone of Gajeel Redfox. "What are you doing!? Get down from there!" Pantherlily says, yelling at the male. He grins with his arms folded, yet to move. "Did you hear me!?" The exceed yelled again. As he raised a paw like a fist, a lightning strike barreled down behind them. "Lightning? In a clear sky?" Levy turned around to see a figure form within the lightning bolt. He had white hair that was covered by a top hat similar to Rylo's. His eyes were red and he had a star shaped imprint over his left eye with a scar over it. "Flynn, what's taking so long? The others are inside already?" The man from the lightning bolt spoke.  
>"Inside?" Levy's eyes widened. "We're being attacked!?" "I'm on it Taranis relax!" The male now known as Flynn spoke.<br>"Lily!" Levy yelled. "On it!" The black exceed exclaimed. He then expanded in size, now standing in his bigger form. "I've seen worse." Taranis spoke. Lily then charged Flynn with his right fist cocked back. He swung, and didn't hit a thing as Flynn disappeared in a blur, appearing right behind the exceed. "A speed mage! Lily!" Levy yelled out for the exceed but as Lily turned around, Flynn slammed a hard right into his gut, causing him to fold over, holding his abdomen. "Solid Script-" Levy raised an arm, ready to attack Flynn with her magic, but before she could, Taranis grabbed her arm at the peak of her draw back. "Let me go!"  
>"Can't do that." The male smirked. Then, a surge of lightning begins to shock the petite bluenette, causing her to cry out, until she finally fainted. "Levy!" Lily yelled as he took his attention away from Flynn and began running towards Taranis. As he ran however, he realized that he was barely making any forward progress, as it seemed Taranis was ten times faster even though the lightning user was only walking away. Lily looked down, noticing he was now in the middle of a magic seal. "Slowing magic." Flynn said with a grin. "The closer you are to the middle, the slower you become, and from your position it'll take you a good hour to get free. That's if you don't stop running at all." The yellow haired mage smiled at the exceed once more, and then zoomed out of sight in a yellow blur. "Levy! LEVY!"<p>

"Hm?" Erza lifts her head up as she looks to the back of the guild. "Something wrong, Erza?" Lisanna asked her. "...Just thought I heard...someone screaming."  
>"Someone screaming?" Gray gave a puzzled look as he now stood shirtless. "That's weird."<br>"Put your clothes back on! That isn't Man at all!" Elfman yelled while pointing at the naked ice maker, Juvia fawning in the back.  
>"It's probably just your imagination, Erza." Romeo added in. Just as he finished speaking, the doors to the guild open, and Evanee walks in, keeping a calm pace yet walking towards the Scarlet haired mage. "Hm?" Cana arched a brow in confusion. "Hey, you can't just walk in here like you own the place ya know." Evanee ignores the drunk completely as she continued walking. Cana shrugs and continues drinking, leaving one eye open as she watched the black with green tips haired mage. As she walked, Evanee pulled out a piece of paper that appeared to be a list. She scrolled down the list with her right index finger. "...Can we help you?" Erza asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Evanee stopped scrolling as she came across Erza's name on the paper. It read "Two hundred fifty thousand jewel." She folded the paper and slid it back into her back pocket and smirked as she continued pace. Erza was so caught off guard by such a frontal approach that she never saw it coming. Once Evanee was in melee range, she grabbed Erza by her collar and side, then tossed her across the guild violently, causing her to crash into a wooden table and breaking it into pieces. Everyone stood in shock at the woman's actions. "I don't know who you think you are..." Romeo spoke.<br>"But you've just made a big mistake." Max says, finishing the sentence. As they finished, a bright light formed from the crushed table. Erza now stood with an angered expression, standing in her Giants Armor. Without warning, Erza rushed Evanee, and reared back her giant right fist. As she swung, Evanee merely slapped the all powerful punch downward, causing Erza's fist to slam into the floor. The shock factor reentered the room as Evanee slammed a spinning heel kick to Erza's chin, sending Titania into the wall next to the bar. The impact against the wall was so strong that Mirajane flinched from the crash though she stood feet away from it. Elfman then looked out the now hole in the guild, and his eyes widened to find Erza lying on her back, in dire pain. "Erza's down...! What kind of man are you!?"  
>She placed her hands on her hip. "My name is Evanee Carlisle, and I'm the Ace of the guild known as Twilight Zone. I feel it's only fair that I give you criminals information about the one whose capturing you."<br>"Criminals!?" Gray questioned.  
>"Siegrain, I'm sure." Erza says as she forces herself up.<br>"Okay, before I was rudely interrupted. I'm a nymph mage. Outside, my takeover mage, Caesar, has your sky dragon slayer in custody."  
>"Wendy!"<br>"And near your graveyards, my lightning demon slayer Taranis, and my speed mage, Flynn has your solid script mage as well.  
>"Did she say Demon Slayer!?"<br>"I'm here for the rest of you. Now, before you ask why are you criminals and why are we after you, I'll answer that too. The answer is... I don't answer to criminals."  
>"You've made a mistake attacking us!" Gray says as he steps up, sliding into his usual stance as a frosty aura surrounds his fists. "Ice make: freeze lancer!" He fired off his three lances of ice towards Evanee. "Alexander." Evanee spoke. Out of no where, a pale skinned, red eyed mage appeared in front of Evanee. He had black hair with a single extremely light green, almost white stripe on the right side of his hair. He stood between Evanee and the incoming lances and with a wave of both hands in a counterclockwise motion, Gray unwillingly appeared in front of them both. Confused, Fullbuster didn't have the chance to react as his own lances slammed into his back, causing him to yelp in pain as he stumbled towards Alexander. The mage would then end the sequence by slamming a right hook right into Gray's jaw, sending him tumbling away. "Gray-Sama!" Juvia yelled as she watched the ice make mage tumble away. Evanee stood there with her arms crossed as she spoke again. "This is Alexander Khan, our war god mage."<br>"I thought that looked familiar..." Erza said as she attempted to stumble back into the guild. "That's the same magic as Minerva.."  
>Alexander's eyes snap open. "You haven't seen her have you!?"<br>"Alexander!" Evanee said, raising her voice. "Focus!"  
>"Yes mam." Alexander then slid back into a fighting position.<br>"You'll pay for that!" Juvia yelled as she reared her own arm back. "Water Nebula!" She fires off a giant funnel of her water magic towards them both. "...Melanie." Evanee spoke again, and from the cracks of the floor, a puddle of water appears, shaping into a small, blonde female with green eyes. She turned and threw her hands in the air. "Evanee-Senp-" Before she could finish her sentence, the water nebula slams into her head on. Juvia gave a grin of success as her attack lands. That grin was quickly wiped away as an inhaling sound was heard coming from where Melanie once stood. The water nebula was being swallowed by the blonde. Once she finished, she stood with an innocent smile and clapped a few times. "Time to play already!?"  
>"And this is Melanie. She's a spazz, but she's also a dragon slayer. Water dragon slayer to be exact. Now.." Evanee began walking over to Erza, who just made her way back inside the guild, perched on her hands and knees panting from just those two hits from the Ace of Twilight Zone. She bent down and held Erza's head up by her chin. "I'm not usually like this, but I have a job to do. Will you come quietly, Fairy Tail, or do we have to drag you all back to the council stronghold?" Elfman charged in, already in his Weretiger takeover as he swiped towards Evanee. Once again, she merely slapped Elfman's attack away, then extended a kick to his sternum, causing the manly mage to slam against the opposite wall. "Elfman!" Erza called out, realizing that he just took a brutal kick from the same mage that had her in a now compromising position. She then bared her teeth at Evanee. "If I go... Will you leave the others alone?"<br>"Erza!" Romeo yelled. He tried to go help her, but his dad Macao grabbed him, and continued to watch.  
>"...No. It's all of you. One way or another."<br>"Just give it up, she hasn't even used an ounce of magic yet." Alexander spoke, igniting another fear factor within the guild. "As if!" Romeo yelled. He then threw a yellow flame directly towards Evanee. Erza's eyes widen and she quickly covers her nose, as well as the rest of Fairy Tail. "Foolish little kid." Evanee says as she swipes her hand against the yellow flame, causing it to disperse. As she did however, the excess from the flame blew into her nose, and the putrid smell quickly became overbearing. "What is that!?" Evanee yelled as she stood up, holding her nose and thrashing about in a frenzy. "It's so putrid!" The other members of Twilight Zone soon caught whiff, now also holding their nose as the coughed in agony. Erza saw the opening and stood with whatever strength she had left. She then slammed the powerful fist to her giants armor into Evanee's jaw, taking out Alexander in the process. "Everyone!" Erza yelled. "We...We're outmatched here! Retreat and regroup! Wait until we can figure out what's going on!"  
>"We don't have a choice! Macao yelled as he grabbed his son, heading for the opening that Erza was pointing to." "This is embarrassing! No man runs from his own guild!" Elfman called out as he struggled to his feet. Before he could speak again, Mirajane grabbed his arm, pointing him to his little sister. "Remember what happened last time.." Mira says. He nods after coming to his senses, then scrambles out with the rest of Fairy Tail.<br>By the time the smell wore off, everyone was hightailing it in different directions. Evanee was finally able to rid herself of the smell before she broke the bar in half with her fist in anger. "We're going after them right?" Alexander asked as he too stood up next to Evanee. "Of course, what kind of question is that. They're too valuable."  
>"Yay! Another game!" Melanie cheered. As she pranced around excitedly, Caesar walked in the front with Wendy and Charla over his shoulders. Then, Tarranis and Flynn entered from the back, Tarranis holding Levy the same way. "What happened here?" Flynn asked. "Never mind." Evanee retorted. "They've split up I'm sure. We're going after them. Taranis, you and Caesar contact one of the captains and turn those two in. The rest of you...lets hunt for fairies. If you can't handle the group you find, give a signal."<br>"Right!" They all yelled in unison. They would then run out of the guild, heading different ways in search for the mages of Fairy Tail.

.

"Just one question before we demolish you and your petty guild for trespassing." Reve says as he now held two celestial pistols within his hands. "Demon slayers... Though they still seem rare, how did you come about?"  
>"Rare?" Serenity scoffed. "It's the newest trend it seems." She then side eyed her guild mate Trinity, who gave a smirk. "Wait!" Reve pointed towards Trinity. "You're one too?!"<br>"Heh.." Trinity gave a slight chuckle. "I am, care to guess which element?"  
>"Who cares!?" Heather yelled. "I'm growing impatient! Lets end these guys right now!" As she yelled, she began inhaling the air around her right after. With a grin, Trinity stepped up and garnered the poison dragon slayer's attention. "Roar..."<br>Taya looked over at Trinity, who was unphased by Heather's hostility. Her eyes then widened. "He's a poison demon slayer... Heather wait!" Taya's cry fell on deaf ears. "...Of the Poison Dragon!" She threw her head forward, firing off a funnel of poison magic directly for Trinity. Trinity didn't move. Instead, he allowed the funnel to crash into him. Heather grinned...until another inhaling sound was heard. "Should of listened to your friend." Trinity spoke as he swallowed the poison like water. "I'm a poison demon slayer." Trinity smirked, and then as a magic seal appeared before him, he reared his head back as well. "Poison demons screech..." Trinity fired a bigger funnel of poison right back at Heather. She stood her ground as well. "No problem, no poison is too much for me!"  
>"Heather move!" Reve yelled, but she refused as she allowed the poisonous funnel slam into her. "...Gah! I can't...!" The impact of the funnel picked her off her feet, causing her to tumble into the snow, now laying on her back. Her skin was a pale-purple with her eyes now heavy with purple bags under them. "Heather!"<br>She coughed profusely as Trinity chuckled a bit. "She's badly poisoned from that. No normal healing or antidote is going to cure a demon's poison either."  
>"Why you!" Reve lifted his guns, aiming towards Trinity, but before he could fire, Serenity appeared before him with a hard left uppercut to his stomach, causing him to quickly fold over, now on his knees clenching his stomach as he coughs up a spool of blood. "What...force...!"<br>"Reve!" Taya yelled, and immediately took off towards Serenity with her dark vectors around her. "Steel make: Prison!" Tristan saw seen in a certain stance, and as he slammed his hands to the ground, a steel prison formed around Taya instantly. Not even her dark vectors could break through as she slammed them against the bars. "Taya!" Her sister Nami yelled. "We'll get her out later." Takeru comments as he makes himself known. He clinches a fist as his shadow magic begins to radiate from it and the rest of his body. "Right now, we have to kick these guys asses. Losing... It isn't an option!"  
>"Too bad it's the only one you have! Secare!" Mathias summoned a well sized sword within his hands and swung it down towards Takeru. Tak quickly used his shadow mode to sink into the ground to avoid the blow. Mathias stood facing the opposite way as Takeru appeared behind him. He then reared back his right arm with his hand flat like a knife, but before he could swing, with great senses Mathias beat Takeru to the strike with a backswing. The swing of his sword sliced Takeru right into the chest, not deep, but enough to inflict a good bit of damage as Takeru went sliding back, clenching his chest. Luke opened his palm, creating a Black God's bomb within his hand. In his other he began creating the White God's bomb as well. "Come on...I should be able to do this faster by now!" Lyra stood across Luke with a cold smirk. "You're taking too long. It's my turn." Lyra then gave a sadistic smirk as she placed two fingers from each hand to her temples. A magic seal appeared under Luke's hands, with two small domes now wrapping around his hands. With nowhere for the black and white God bombs to go, they exploded within Luke's hands. The copy mage went soaring out of the smoke, quickly unconscious as Waiston catches him. "Shit! Luke!" Jaxon bares his teeth, and then turns to the culprit. His body begins to turn blue, as the weather mage harshly drops the already cold temperature of the White Eclipse mountains. Waiston slides in front of Jaxon as he does so, and grinned back at his friend before inhaling the freezing air around him. "Roar! Of the Frozen Dragon!" Due to the amplification caused by Jaxon, Waiston, the Frozen Dragon Slayer, fired off a more than enormous funnel of ice magic towards Lyra.<br>"Steel make: Wall." With another stance and palms hitting the ground, Tristan conjured up a simple wall made of steel. That simple wall easily stopped the ice roar dead in it's tracks. "There's no way!" Waiston took a step back with Jaxon as they both stared in shock. As they did, Hitomi yawned as he appeared behind them. He then placed a hand on their shoulders, and shocked them both, causing them to let out agonizing screams until he let go.  
>"Outmatched." Serenity spoke. "Your two strongest mages are already out." She pointed to Reve who was still catching his breath, and Taya who was still attempting to make her way out of the steel prison. "That doesn't mean we're out!" Kuro yelled. Serenity gave a small grin as she began cracking her knuckles. "Well then, lets put you out/ then."  
>As minutes went by, Black Phoenix continued dominating the already tired White Eclipse. As the carnage ensued, Almaz, one of the new recruits to the guild, kept watching in fear. "What am I gonna do!?" He thought to himself. "Everyone is getting manhandled! We can't survive this! They'll beat us all, I have to do something." He then shouts. "I have to!" He takes a gulp and then steps forward. "Alright! Time for some Great Tree Arc magic!" A large magic circle appeared around the fight as he yelled out his unimpressive war cry. He then clapped his hands together as the magic seal beneath him and everyone began to glow. "Toraburu no ki!" From the middle of the seal, a large tree quickly sprouted from the ground, and it's branches quickly fired off at all angles, quickly trapping the attacking Black Phoenix mages. He had caught him off guard, but what was impressive was the strength behind Almaz's magic, as he was able to even break the steel prison that held Taya. Serenity, Tristan and the other Phoenixes began to struggle as they tried to squeeze their way out of the trees grasp. "This! Isn't an ordinary tree huh!?" Tristan exclaims as he continues to struggle. Almaz then looks around. He was literally the only White Eclipse member standing, and because of how much magic his techniques costed him, and how he was still a rookie mage, he too was feeling drained. "Okay...um...okay no choice! I have enough for one last thing!" Almaz created another magic seal, and with his Great Tree Arc magic, he created another giant root that began scooping up his fellow guild mates. Once they were all retrieved, he hopped on himself as the root then led to the icy forest just a mile away from the guild. As they entered the forest, the giant root separated into smaller sizes, breaking them off into groups and allowing the guild to split up. Back at the guild, Serenity was throwing a tantrum as she continued pounding the branch tied around her with her fist until she eventually broke free. "Dammit!"<br>Tristan was right behind her, and then both aces began letting their comrades down as well. "Lets go after them!" Lyra yelled. "I don't know, that's a lot of work Hitomi says with a lazy slur to his words."  
>"Oh we're going after them!" Serenity roared. "No ones getting away!" As they ran off towards the woods, Aira peered through the window, watching them leave. "I know them! But why..? Why is Leon's guild attacking us?"<p>

.

Makarov walked into the council building, escorted by one of the council guards as he made his way to the usual conference room. "Hm..I must be early." The elderly man says as he walks. "Either that or I'm really late." He laughed towards the emotionless guard, who led him down a small corridor. "Well then, tough crowd." He cleared his throat as they made another turn. The guard then opened a door and led the Fairy Tail guild master into a small room. "...This isn't the conference room.."  
>"Sir Siegrain would like to have a word with you. Alone." The guard then pointed to the lone chair and walked out.<br>"Something's up...and I don't like it." Makarov looked around the small empty room, and then sat down in the chair. Once properly situated, two iron cuffs quickly wrap around his wrists, connected to the chair. "What is this!?" The short old man yelled. He struggled in the chair. "I can't use any magic?"  
>"Sure can't." In walks Siegrain. He grins towards Makarov as he sits upon the table in front of him. He crossed his legs as he stared at Dreyar for a good bit. "It's a shame your friend Calium couldn't join us today. He's awfully ill. Can't even get out of bed, so we thought that he's not even worth the effort. But you.. Oh you Makarov. You're doing well." Seigrain then hops up again as he begins to walk around him. "What's the meaning of this, Seigrain!?" Makarov shouted. "What's the meaning of this you ask? It's simple." The Bluenette chuckles to himself a bit before speaking again. "As we speak, your brats are being hunted like the animals they are." Dreyar's eyes widen from his comment. "You see Dreyar, after six long months from the incident, I've changed the world. I've built the council stronghold that now holds all of Fiore's notorious and powerful criminals with no problem. I've built a stronger army. I've causally caused the entire country to bow to me their hero!"<br>"You're no hero! And everyone that was there six months ago knows it!" Makarov shouted. He was rewarded for his outburst with a backhand from the council leader himself. "As I was saying. Now that I have all these things at my disposal, I was able to open up a case that laid dormant for half of year."  
>"...You threw the blame on us. Even though those mages were the ones who saved this world!"<br>"Yes! Yes, you're not senile at all Dreyar! You know exactly where I'm going with this! But don't worry, you're not all that brilliant, because the capture to yours and White Eclipse's mages serve a bigger purpose than just a jail sentence."  
>"And what does that mean Siegrain!?" Makarov yelled. The Bluenette merely laughed as he reopened the door. "You'll find out soon enough old man. Until then..I'll send some guards to escort you to your cell."<p>

.

Leon was on the offense, swiping his hands at Natsu in a claw like fashion. With each swipe, a trail of acid magic poured from his hands. Natsu continued to evade the swipes by leaning away from them. He bared his teeth because he knew the consequences of touching his hands. Leon fired another right, but Natsu ducked under it and slammed a right flaming hook of his own into Leon's jaw. Leon stays on his feet but is sent sliding back a few feet from the blow. He wipes his mouth with his hand as he glared at the Salamander. Natsu returned the glare, until he felt his hand singe in pain. He looked at his knuckles, noticing his skin slowly being eaten away by acid. "Shit!"  
>"Natsu's in trouble!" Happy yelled. "I have to help him." Lucy commented as she reached for her keys.<br>"I wouldn't do that, a voice from above her called out." Her and Happy turned to see who was speaking. "Who are you?" The celestial mage asked.  
>Rylo tipped his hat to the female with a grin. "My name is Rylo Yutaka, S class Slight of Hand mage of Twilight Zone, and if I were you, I wouldn't touch those keys of yours."<br>And why not?!" The blonde barked back. "Because if you do, I'll have to take care of you."  
>"And why should we be afraid of you!?" Happy yelled."<br>Rylo then grinned towards the two as he turned back to the fight. "Well I would tell you that, talking cat, but a magician never reveals his secrets."  
>"I can't touch this guy without feeling it!" Natsu bares his teeth as he holds his right fist. "There's gotta be away around it." With quick thinking, Natsu then charges Leon once again. As he lunged towards him, he threw a flaming kick towards the Acid Dragon slayer's head. Leon lifted up a forearm to block the blow, wincing a bit from the sheer force of the kick. As Leon slid to the side a few inches from the blow, the acid magic around his arm begins to eat away at Natsu's boot. "Dammit!" Natsu roars in frustration as he hops away from Leon. Leon was in pursuit however, and as soon as Natsu lands from his jump, Leon was there with a palm to his face, slamming Natsu into the ground. The impact breaking off a chunk of the street. "Natsu!" Happy and Lucy yelled in unison, the worry tone in their voices. Leon then leaped away from Natsu who quickly made his way to his feet, palming his face with both hands. The pain could be seen with his thrashing about. "Whoa..." Rylo watches on with an impressed expression. "That was his face."<br>Natsu hunched over, still holding his face. "It's only going to get worse Salamander. Just give it up."Leon warned. His eyes widened afterwards as Natsu removed his hands, revealing dragon scales around his eyes and random spots on his face as the smoke from the singeing acid continued to flow from it. Leon quickly regained his composure as Natsu began walking towards him. "For my freedom huh? Well then...I don't care if all of my skin melts away. That's one thing you won't take away!"  
>The Fire Dragon slayer began charging towards Leon once again. This time, Leon mirrored him, also charging the Salamander. They both reared their fist back as a swirl of flames wrap around Natsu's right fist, and one of acid around Leon's. "Iron Fist!"<br>"Of the Fire Dragon!"  
>"Of the Acid Dragon!"<br>The two fists collide into a stalemate of a struggle between Acid and Flames. The winds from the impact caused Lucy and Happy to slide backwards as they shielded themselves. Rylo stood unaffected yet still impressed by the fight going on. "It's sad that I'm going to have to break this up soon. Natsu's worth too much money for me to let another guild take him in." The magician continued to watch as it was now becoming evident that Leon's acid magic was slowly overtaking Natsu's fire magic due to it's effects, and after a few more seconds, Natsu's fist dropped as Leon powered through, slamming his fist into Natsu's jaw. The Salamander went flying, and crashed into the ground, rolling a good bit until he came to a sliding stop, now laying on his back and panting. Lucy, who was now just feet away from him, covered her mouth with both hands as she watched on. "Natsu..."  
>"Relax." Rylo says, causing Lucy to look over at him in confusion.<br>"Sorry, Natsu, but it's time to finish this." Leon bowed slightly. Then, as he came back to a stance,  
>He crouched and began creating two orbs of acid magic, one in his left and one in his right. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Beam." Leon combined the two orbs together into one well sized ball of acid magic and launched it towards Natsu. The ball of Acid rushed towards the Dragon Slayer at a fast pace, bringing up a good bit of the ground with it. "Natsu!" Happy cried out as he helplessly watched. As he did, Rylo calmly stepped between the downed Natsu and the incoming attack from Leon. He adjusted his top hat, and then held out his right arm, pulling down the sleeve to his suit. "Nothing up my sleeve." The Slight of Hand mage spoke, causing a magic seal to appear before him. Once the Acid orb hit against the magic seal, it vanished right into it. Rylo then fixed his sleeve once it disappeared. "This was a good act, but I'm taking Natsu with me."<br>"Says who?" Leon asked with a raised brow. "Me of course." Rylo replied. "Twilight Zone needs this reward more than wherever you're from."  
>While the two mages began their verbal altercation, Lucy quickly raised a key into the air. "Scorpio!"<br>As her celestial spirit appeared out of the gate, Happy swooped in and picked Natsu off the ground, now flying high into the air and towards the guild as Lucy ran behind them. "Happy! I'll meet you at the guild!" Lucy yelled as she took a right down an alleyway."Aye sir!" Happy yelled back as he made a max speed bee line for Fairy Tail. "Sand buster!" Scorpio fired off a funnel of sand magic towards the two mages and then quickly disappeared afterwards due to Lucy running away. Rylo and Leon both quickly hopped out of the way as the Sand Buster went flying by, slamming into a random building. As Rylo and Leon land, they look around, noticing that their targets have disappeared. "Shit..." Rylo curls his lip at his failure. Leon on the other hand, begins to sniff the air around him. Once he caught on to Natsu's scent, he took off in a sprint. "Huh!? Oh yeah he's a dragon slayer!" The magician yelled. He then took off right behind Leon, in pursuit of Natsu Dragneel.

.

Aira ran back into Master Calium's quarters. She swung open the door and noticed a coughing guild master slipping on his robe. "Don't even think about it! We'll handle it! You're in no condition!" She yelled, her face with a threatening expression. "I'm not going to let my runts get pushed around like that." Calium replied. "You can barely stand! Any use of magic would just put your life at risk. Lay. Down!"  
>The raising of Aira's voice caused Calium to stop all movements. Aira waited with a bit of fear and anxiousness, unsure of how Calium would take the fact that one of his own children just yelled at him in such a tone. He cut his eyes back towards the wind mage... And then slipped the robe back off. "That's fine then, handle it. But I'm calling Sidney as well."<br>Aira nodded as the guild insignia on Calium's right bicep began to glow. "How far away he is by now...I don't know. But since my health is seemingly more important than the others, you better make sure everyone is okay Aira."  
>"Yes sir.." The blonde haired wind mage slowly nodded, waited for Calium to cover back up in his bed, and then ran to her room to change. After throwing her gloves back on,<br>She hopped out of her window and took off towards the forest where she last saw everyone head to. "Hang on guys!"

.

"This is embarrassing!" Pantherlily continued to struggle within the magic seal that slowed his movements. He had finally made it out the middle as twenty minutes went by since the two mages abducted Levy. In a show of frustration, Lily attempted to punch the ground, but even that was slow, and took him a long thirty seconds just to reach the ground with his fist. Tears of frustration began to run down his face. "Levy... I let them take you... Hopefully someone from the guild stopped them. Man, Gajeel would kill me if he was here..." He let out a frustrated yell as he slowly continued to push through the magic seal. "I promised him I would take care of her! Gajeel I'm sorry!"  
>"Oi...you're so loud."<br>"..." Lily's eyes lit up. He stood as if he's seen a ghost. A long iron pole reached out to Lily, waiting for him to grab it. Pantherlily looked at the iron pole, and then back forward as the tears in his eyes were no longer those of frustration.  
>"Gihe! Are you going to stand there, Lily?<p>

Or are you gonna help me rescue the shrimp?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Ultimatum

"Happy! Put me down!" Natsu roared as he flailed about in Happy's paws. "Lucy said meet her at the guild Natsu!" The exceed yelled back. "I don't care what Lucy said! I have to go back and kick that guy's ass! He thinks he's better than me!"  
>"Well he was winning.." Happy whispered to himself. "What was that!?" "Nothing! I'll put you down when we get to the guild so someone can tell us what's going on!"<br>"Put me down now!"  
>"No!"<br>"Now!"  
>"Natsu!"<p>

.

"Heather... Heather can you hear me?" Kairi continued to shake her friend the Poison Dragon slayer while Selene and Clover stood over them watching. The shaking was only answered by groans of internal pain. "The poison's really wrecking her.." Clover stated. "She needs help and fast."  
>"But where?" Selene asked. "We're being hunted like animals. We obviously can't go back go to the guild to get Aira. And even if we did, we don't know if that Trinity guy was bluffing or not about his poison needing a certain antidote. I mean, he is a demon slayer after all."<br>"Heather..." Kairi stood back up, carrying Heather piggy back style as the vanilla blonde continued to groan in agony. "Come on, lets keep moving." Kairi commands as Clover and Selene follows her. "I can smell you! That's my poison I smell!" Trinity roared out through the woods. The echo of his voice bounced off the trees and into the ears of the four mages. "Okay lets pick up the pace! We're in no condition to fight!" Kairi leads the pack as she begins sprinting through the snow with Selene and Clover right behind her, running as far as they could from the steady approaching Poison Demon Slayer.

"Nii-San! Are we going to be okay!?" Skye asked Reve, tugging on the back of his shirt. She sat on a sturdy tree branch along with Reve as he laid down, looking through the scope to his celestial sniper. To their left, was Almaz, who was impatiently waiting on the S class mage's call, tapping his fist on the tree branch above him. "Nii-San! Can you answer me?"  
>"Skye! Chill! No one's in trouble right now except maybe Heather. And she'll be fine herself." The tone in Reve's voice was obvious to everyone but Skye. Reve turned back around to give another peak into his scope, and after a quick look, he sat back up and turned to the two mages with him. "Alright...the coast seems clear, but to make sure, Almaz check over there." He pointed off to the right. "We're going to wait for you to comeback, so come back."<br>Almaz gives an exaggerated salute. "Aye aye sir Reve!" He then leaps from branch to branch, headed off to the right to go scout the area. Reve sighs, and places his back against the tree. As he reopens his eyes, Skye was standing right in front of him, nearly nose to nose. She then smiled goofily towards the now a clearly agitated Reve. "Nii-San! What's gonna be our next move?"  
>"...I'll tell you when Almaz gets back, so I won't have to repeat myself." Reve huffed out. "I'll repeat it to him!" Skye exclaimed the replied. "Keep your voice down, and that won't be needed."<br>"But I wanna help you Nii-San!"  
>"Skye!" Reve yelled. "Shut up! If you want to help so bad...go check over there or something! And stop calling me Nii-San, we aren't related!" Reve's sudden outburst caused Skye to stand in shock. The fact that Reve has never yelled at her before really added to the scolding effect. "..." Skye wiped her watery eyes as Reve kept his eyes to his left, away from the requip mage. Skye then took off to the direction he pointed towards without saying a word, leaving Reve alone on the tree branch they started from. "Tch...annoying."<p>

"Running isn't going to help us for long. We need to take them out one by one." Zalen says as he stands with Kuro Jaxon and Waiston. "That's what Reve would do and we have the right mages to do so."  
>"Right!" Jaxon nodded. "Look at us! An ice dragon, a weather god, a building mage and a fire make mage! We can do this!"<br>"Lets get started." Zalen whispers as they stayed perched in their tree, waiting for their attackers to show. "As long as we don't get one of the two aces, we'll be okay."  
>"Well it looks like you aren't okay." Tristan says as he appears behind Zalen with a grin. Zalen's eyes widen as the other mages turn to them both. "Zalen!" Kuro yells out. He then slams his palms together, readying an attack as Zalen turns to meet Tristan's condescending glare.<br>"Fire make:..."  
>"Steel make: Hammer!" Beating Kuro to the punch, he created a steel hammer than launched towards Kuro. The red head quickly lunged out the way in a panic, falling out the tree and into the snow. Zalen took this time to quickly create and wrap plates of iron around his fists, but before he could swing, Tristan grabbed the building mage's right hand and twisted it behind his back, now holding Zalen in front of him in a hostage like situation. This stopped Waiston and Jaxon from firing their premeditated attacks. "Shit!"<br>Tristan grinned at the mage's disposition. "So, we coming quietly? Or are you willing to risk his well being? You're all outmatched here, so give it up, and we won't have to use force. Besides, one of your friends is dying as we speak."

"Why us!?" Luke shouted. "Why are we being hunted!? I swear to the gods if they try to take us to the council stronghold.."  
>"Council stronghold?" Takeru looked over to the panicking Luke Cloud, uninformed of the place he just mentioned. Luke stood up. "Takeru you need to get out more. The council stronghold was built four months ago. Siegrain had it built to hold Fiore's most notorious criminals instead of having them held in the council headquarters. This building's sole purpose is to make sure no one gets out. It's a huge tower of imprisonment, and inside are four wardens! Well, three wardens and a head warden. But still!" Luke begins to shiver a bit. "There's no way out...you're a prisoner there forever! Or...however long your sentence is."<br>"Sounds boring." Takeru replied. He continued cautiously walking, until he finally came to a stop to think. He sniffed around as well, searching for a scent. "What are you planning?" The copy cat asked. "An ambush." Takeru retorted.  
>Luke blinked. "..an ambush?"<br>"We're clearly outmatched because we're all tired from training, and they aren't going to go away. So the only logical thing to do is take them out with ambushes."  
>"So what plan do you have?" Luke asked, scratching his head with a confused expression. Takeru didn't answer, instead he pointed Luke to the trees. Luke's eyes widened, and then he nodded, quickly leaping up to the branches above him and landing quietly as Takeru turned to his shadow mode and sunk into the snow. His shadow form traveled to a near by tree and his against the bark of the tree. Footsteps were heard crushing the snow. Luke looked over at the shadow that was Takeru and nodded, waiting for the figure to come into view. The Copy Cat held up three fingers, then two, then one. "Now!" The two mages charged the figure, blindsiding him. Luke pounced on top of the male, slinging him to the ground as Takeru slid in with his claw like fingernails now held to his neck.<br>"Oh...Cygnus." Takeru blinked, and then retracted his hand away from the Gravity God Slayer's neck. "...Sorry Cygnus. We thought you were one of them." Luke stated.  
>"Well I'm not, so how about get off me Cloud!" Cygnus replied, yelling at Luke who was still pinning the mage to the ground. "Oh! Right, sorry." Luke hopped off and helped the white haired mage off the snowy ground. Cygnus began dusting himself off as he grunted in annoyance. "So no luck in finding anyone huh?" Cygnus asked the two. "Why are you walking so carelessly?" Takeru asked, answering his question with one of his own. Cygnus shrugged but before he could answer, the three mages could hear an echo through the trees. "Darkness Demon's Screech!"<br>From behind them, an overwhelmingly large funnel of Dark Demon slaying magic rushed towards the three mages, destroying the trees and all it's surroundings in it's place. "Get down!" Luke yells. The three mages dive out of the way and into the deep snow as the giant funnel roars past them. "What was that!?" Cygnus yelled. "That demon slayer girl I'm sure." Takeru replied as the three mages scrambled to their feet. "Come out cowards!" Serenity yelled. She began trudging through the snow angrily at the fact she couldn't find anyone yet. "I don't have all day and neither do you!"  
>"Is she just firing off random attacks?" Luke asked.<br>"Who cares, just keep moving!" Cygnus replied to the Copy Cat as they ran through the white covered woods behind White Eclipse.

.

"How did I beat Natsu and Happy here!?" Lucy huffed out as she panted heavily. She placed her hands on her knees as she attempted to catch her breath. She stood in front of the guild doors, waiting on the two for a few seconds. "I'll just go ahead inside and wait for them there. I have to tell the others!" She nodded to her own decision, and then pushed the doors open. "Everyone! Huh..?" She looked around to a near empty guild. The only people she saw, was Wendy and Levy sitting at a table with their heads down and covered by their own arms, as if they were sleeping. "Wendy, Levy! Where is everyone!?" Lucy ran over to them, and she began shaking Levy. She didn't respond. "Levy? Levy wake up! Something's wrong here." As she spoke. She heard laughter coming from behind her. The celestial blonde froze, and then slowly turned to see Taranis and Ceaser standing behind her. Taranis held on hand on his hat as Ceaser stood with his arms crossed, towering over the celestial mage. "You're that Fairy Tail girl Lucy, right shorty?" Ceaser asked, leaning down towards her and causing Lucy to take a step back from his towering. "Who are you guys!? You must be with that Leon guy!"  
>Taranis raised a brow to her statement. "I don't know a Leon, but all I know is we're now twenty thousand jewel richer."<br>Lucy reached for her keys, but couldn't grab them in time as Taranis quickly leg sweeps her off balance. Lucy hits the ground and winces, now staring in fear at the two mages before her. Ceaser then reaches down towards her, his giant hand about to grab the female, until a right fist from seemingly nowhere slams into the orange haired mage. Lucy watched as Ceaser hit the wall behind him violently, already assuming it was Natsu behind her. She grinned, but then her eyes widened in disbelief to the sound she heard next. "Gihihe." She shook as if she heard a ghost. Taranis also looked on in confusion, though it seemed he remained poised. "Aren't you Gajeel?"  
>The Iron Dragon Slayer was perched on the table just above Lucy along with Pantherlily, grinning as he rubbed his fist. "Geez, I can't get any secret training done without you his getting in trouble!"<br>"G-ga...Gajeel..." Lucy stuttered out in utter disbelief. Her demeanor quickly turned into an angered one as she pointed at the Black Steel. "Levy is going to be so pissed when she wakes up! You're supposed to be dead!" "I'm not afraid of the shrimp!" Gajeel fired back with shifty eyes. At this point the two mages completely disregarded Taranis standing right in front of them as they argued about Gajeel faking his death. Their argument came to an abrupt halt as the doors were slammed open once again. "Everyone!" Natsu and Happy came sliding in, only to notice the near empty guild. "Lucy, Gajeel! Where is...GAJEEL!?" Natsu began to turn blue, the just seen a ghost affect kicking in to the Salamander as he shakily pointed towards him. "L-L-Lu-Lucy! Do you...do you see him too!?"  
>Lucy then pointed at Gajeel while yelling towards Natsu. "He faked his own death!"<br>"What!?" The three mages began arguing again. Taranis just stood there dumbfounded, watching the back and forth between the mages. He looked over at Pantherlily, who just shrugged at the matter, used to the everyday antics. As Ceaser made his way from being imprinted against the wall, the lightning demon slayer bared his teeth in frustration and annoyance before yelling. "Enough! Ceaser you ready!? We can take these three!"  
>"Yeah...Ceaser rubbed his head, knocking the grogginess out as he made his way back beside Taranis. "Try to stay focused this time Ceaser." Taranis added as lightning began to surge around him. Ceaser turned to Natsu as the four Fairies slid into a fighting stance. Once again, before anything could get underway, the doors swing open again, and walking through the door way with his hands behind his back was one of the council captains, Odin. Behind Odin was Layanna, a council knight. She held her shield and sword firm as continued to trail Odin just inches behind. "Well well, when you called you said you only had Levy McGarden and Wendy Marvell. Both in the fifty thousand range."<br>"What..?" Lucy's ducked her head shamefully into a corner. "Am I the cheapest one here?"  
>Odin then continued. "But now you have The Salamander, and...the supposed to be deceased Black Steel. I'm sure Seigrain won't mind paying you Natsu's worth twice for Gajeel."<br>"What's he talking about?" Gajeel demanded as he snarled towards the captain. "We'll fill you in later." Odin said sarcastically. "Right now, we have this entire guild surrounded with no way out, so will you come quietly? Or do we have to put you in the same state as your friends behind you?"  
>"Gihi..." Gajeel grinned at the captains threat. "Maybe this will answer your question. Roar! Of the Iron Dragon!" Gajeel fired off an impressive size roar, hurling it right for Odin. Though impressive in size and power, Layanna quickly stepped in front, and held her shield outward. The roar slammed against her shield, and quickly bounced back to it's owner Gajeel. He quickly ducked, causing the roar to fly into and through the wall behind him violently. "Damn it..." Gajeel sneered. Odin then nonchalantly lifted his right hand, creating two magic seal above both the unconscious Levy and Wendy. In the next second, they were now captured inside two bubbles of oxygen magic. Though made of air, the bubbles were hard as steel. Gajeel couldn't react fast enough as Odin pulled the bubbles towards him and Layanna. "Now, either way your friends are coming with us, and you're going to join them, with or without force it doesn't matter."<p>

"Erza are you sure this is a good idea!?" Max asked as he, Erza, and Cana stood in the middle of the open plains. "Yes. They got the jump on us before, but now, if we separate them, we can easily beat them and get to the bottom of why we're the ones being hunted."  
>"Oi..the mage that runs into us is getting a world of hurt!"<br>As Cana and Erza stand tall, Max shivers a bit behind them as he begins to chant quietly to himself. "Please don't let it be their ace! Please don't let it be their ace! Please don't! Please!"  
>"Someone's coming." Erza stated, causing Max to jump a little. Cana nodded as they waited for the figure to appear. Minutes later, the walking figure appeared to be Evanee, the ace of Twilight Zone. Max grabs his hair as he slouches down. "Of course it's her!"<br>"Max!" Cana yelled. "Get ahold of yourself."  
>"Besides." Erza added as she grinned. "She's running their show. Once we beat her, we'll get the information we need, and get her other guild mates to fall back." As Erza finished her sentence, Evanee stood in front of the three, her hands on her hips. She gave a condescending look as she examined the three Fairies in front of her. "So.. You three are planning to fight me huh? Just to be clear, I'm not the bad guy here. I'm just doing what I'm being paid to do."<br>"Yeah yeah enough of that!" Cana yelled as she pulled out two of her cards, ready to strike. Erza quickly requiped a sword as well as Max shakily stood ready in a stance of his own. Evanee shrugged. "So be it."

The Strauss family continued walking through the open plains. Elfman kept a sharp eye out as he walked behind his two sisters. "Erza's plan better work!" Elfman barked. "Aye..she knows what she's doing." Mirajane nodded. "I'm sure the ace will go after her, leaving us with the others."  
>"Lisanna, once we run into someone, stay behind me. A man must protect his sisters."<br>"I can take care of myself Elfman..." Lisanna replied. Seconds later, a yellow blur zoomed past them, bringing up a gust of wind behind them as well. The yellow blur stopped on a dime, showing to be Flynn. Holding on to his back and shoulders and now with dizzy eyes, was Melanie. She shook off the dizziness as she hopped down from being carried by Flynn. They stood in front of the Strauss siblings, Flynn grinning while Melanie held an excited yet cheery smile. "Two on three against the takeover siblings!? This isn't a man fight at all!" Elfman roared out as he stepped to Mirajane's right, Lisanna taking her left. Flynn grinned as Melanie took a step forward. "Don't underestimate us just because we aren't Evanee."

As the two mages walked, Gray kept a sharp eye out as Juvia lovingly clung to his arm, rubbing her face against his arm in a creepy form of infatuation. He ignored it as they continued to slowly trek forward. A few steps later, he stopped , causing Juvia to stop as well. She immediately let go of the ice maker's arm as she readied herself as they now both spotted a portal spinning in front of them. Out of the portal came Alexander. He looked the two mages over before speaking. "I'm sure you know the drill here."  
>Gray scowled towards the Twilight Zone guild member. "If you think you can beat one of us, let alone both..."<br>A small grin appeared upon the mage's face. "Only one way to find out right? But before I apprehend you both. Tell me what you know about Minerva."  
>Gray raised a brow to Alexander's request. "Minerva? We haven't seen her in like two years man. Why do you want to know?"<br>"Never mind that." Alexander huffed as he slid into a fighting stance. "Just prepare to defend yourself."

.

Through the council hallways, a man with blue hair walked towards the main office where Siegrain awaited. His hair was just long enough to wear he was able to put it up into a small ponytail. He was dressed in a matching grey uniform that held the magic council insignia. His brown eyes helped him hold a confident demeanor. Behind him, were three figures that could yet be fully seen. In his left hand he held his matching hat. The four bodies finally reached the main office as the blue haired man turned the knob and opened the door. "Siegrain."  
>"Rizu, still as rude as ever." Siegrain grinned as the four walked in, the three unknown figures standing the man now identified as Rizu. "You called us here." Rizu replied. "So we came to the point where you called us from." Siegrain chuckles a bit as he sits up in his chair. He then folds his arms over his desk as he looks at all four of them. "Head Warden of the council stronghold, Rizu Shizen. As you are aware, you have a couple of prisoners that will be heading your way eventually. I want you to set up the chair that my men have been working on."<br>Rizu arches a brow, yet grins. "The chair huh? I thought it wasn't completed? No matter, as you wish, Siegrain." Rizu bowed, and then spoke again as the four wardens began leaving. "We'll be waiting for the arrival of our guests, try not to keep us waiting."  
>As they left, Siegrain scowled a bit. "He's lucky he's talented." The Bluenette then turned in his chair a bit, staring at the open window with a grin. "All is going according to plan. They'll learn to respect me, and at the same time, I can get rid of a certain criminal thorn in my side. It's bad enough that Fairy Tail and White Eclipse pose the threats they do, but once I get rid of these fools that also plague me, and gain the fear of the Eclipses and the Fairies, I'll finally be invincible."<p>

.

"You're wasting your time running!" Trinity yelled. "I'm following your footprints! You're just delaying the inevitable!"  
>Kairi Selene and Clover continued to sprint through the snow in an attempt to escape from the pursuing demon slayer; Kairi still carrying Heather on her back. Panting heavily, yet refusing to stop, the three mages continue there escape attempt until Trinity called out again. "Look! Your friend is going to die if you don't hand her over. She's heavily poisoned and everyone here, including you, needs her alive." They immediately stop in their tracks. "What are we gonna do?" Clover asked. "I'm pretty sure he's not bluffing."<br>Kairi continued to pant, trying to think of an idea. Finally, something clicks. "I got an idea. Clover...can you hold him off?"  
>"What!? Why me?" Clover looked back towards the angel takeover with a shocked expression. "Just trust us!" Kairi yelled as she carried Heather off along with Selene. Clover turned back to the incoming Trinity who was steadily catching up. "I'm too exhausted to fight a demon slayer... But..." Clover slid into his maker stance as the element make mage readied for the incoming demon slayer. "All I have to do, is stay away from his poison..." By the time he finished his thoughts, Trinity appeared. He slowed down to a stalk as he walked towards Clover and finally stopping a few feet before him. Trinity gave a small grin to the defensive mage. "What? You're gonna hold me off while they escape?"<br>"Looks like it..." Clover mumbled.  
>"Don't you understand, there's no way around this. Just come quietly." Trinity replied, his hair beginning to waver, knowing that Clover wasn't going to just surrender. "I'll even give you an ultimatum. Just give me the poisoned one so I can heal her, and I'll let the rest of you go. Heather is worth a good bit."<br>"Kairi, what's your idea?" Selene asked. Kairi didn't answer. Instead, she finally came to a stop after she was sure she could no longer see nor hear Clover and Trinity. She then walked over to a tree. "Selene, can you make something for Heather to sit on so she doesn't freeze in the snow?" "Hm?" Selene nodded, and with her diamond magic, she created a chair that Kairi now placed Heather in. She patted the poison dragon slayer on the head once. "Hang on, we'll get him to fix you Heather." She then turned to Selene. "Alright lets go. We're going to ambush him. We don't have time for a fair fight, we need him to fix Heather." Selene nodded to Kairi's words, and then followed the white and light purple haired mage around the trees, planning to sneak up on Trinity while he was busy with Clover.

"He didn't have to yell.. I was just tying to help..." She sunk her feet into the snow, trudging around with little effort. Skye sighed heavily as she wiped her eyes once more, clearing the tears from her face. "He didn't mean what he said..but it still hurt." She continued on, walking through the snow. Just above her, laying in a branch with his hands above his head, was Hitomi. Though he was sound asleep, he woke up to the sound of Skye's voice. After a long yawn and the ruffling to the back of his head, he peered over the side of the branch he was laying on, noticing the former assassin walking alone in the snow. "Oh..it's one of the targets. Man, I was really enjoying that nap too." He continued to watch her unknowingly walk past him. "Oh right...I should capture her. Orr...no need, she's headed in the right direction." Hitomi smirked as Skye continued to walk on. Skye stopped walking after a couple more feet. "No one here. I guess I can go back and tell the jerk." She huffed again and turned around.

Only to see Mathias standing right behind her.

He grabbed her before she could move a muscle.

Black Phoenix now had their first capture.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Countered! Siegrain's Big Announcement.

"Any last words?" The Twilight Zone mages rung out simultaneously as they stood across from their respective targets.  
>"Only a few!" Gray yelled as he slammed a fist into his open palm, creating an icy aura around his hands. "Ice make: Hammer!" He threw his arms forward, and through an icy blue magic seal, a giant hammer made of ice appeared. The ice hammer flung towards a readied Alexander. The mage ran towards the incoming hammer, only to dodge it by quickly ducking underneath without losing any momentum. "Water Slicer!" Juvia stepped up, and from her magic seal, fired off three blades made of water. Once again, without losing momentum, Alexander ran ahead, swiftly moving side to side to dodge them all. Juvia raised her hand to fire off another, but before she could, Alexander slid right under her. "Ih Ralgas!" As he spoke this quick incantation, Alexander's hands become wrapped with his war god magic. He then quickly slams an open palm into Juvia's ribs on her left, sending her tumbling off to the right as she let out a painful yelp. She finally came to a rolling stop and struggled to her feet, yet still standing just fine. With his hands still wrapped in his war god magic, he then turned to an incoming Gray Fullbuster. "Ice make: Bringer!" The ice make mage creates a giant well sized sword within his hands, and swings down a vertical strike at the War god mage's head. With a smirk, Alexander times it just right, and slams his hands together, catching the ice sword within his hands. The struggle between the two continues before finally, seconds later, Alexander snaps the ice bringer in half. Gray was wide eyed with shock, quickly replaced with a look of pain as Alexander slammed an open palm into his chin with an uppercut. The ice maker falls to the ground spine first, quickly rolling up to a knee as he glared at the War god mage. Now standing in between Gray and Juvia, Alexander gave another grin. "Ih Ragdo." He whispers. He then begins to go through a formation with his hands, and once it ended, Gray found himself in some type of bubble. "Heh.." Alexander then clenched his fist, causing an explosion inside the bubble. Gray let out an agonizing yell. "Gray-Sama!" Juvia yelled out in the utmost concern. "Surrender, and I won't do it again." Alexander stated, still holding Gray within the bubble. "J-Juvia! You can take him! We can't surrender, so just beat-"<br>Before he could finish his sentence, Alexander let off another explosion inside the bubble, causing Gray to cry out once more. "Stop it!" Juvia yelled out as she angrily turned to the war god. Alexander's grin quickly disappeared as he looked into the now red eyes of the angry Juvia. It reappeared however, and a chuckle escaped his lips as well. "Do you fight better when you're upset? If so, then lets see it."

"Beast soul: Weretiger!" Elfman charged right for Flynn in his fastest form, his body now in it's Weretiger takeover. He ran towards Flynn and threw a quick right claw, which missed everything. In a blink of an eye, Flynn was gone. "Yo!" Elfman turned to his right to see the speed mage standing there with his arms folded and a cocky smirk etched upon his face. Annoyance already settling in, Elfman went on the attack, throwing multiple strikes that continuously missed due to Flynn's immense speed. "You're too slo-" before he could finish his sentence, a hand calmly grabbed him by the shoulder. Ironically, he slowly turned around to see Mirajane standing in her Demon Halphas form. With his speed magic, Flynn quickly backs up, only to have Mirajane appear right behind him. "What the!?" Flynn backs away once again, only to have the same thing happen. "No one's this fast!" Flynn yelled as he tried once more. This time, as Mirajane appeared before him, he through a high kick that the Demon Halphas easily blocked with her right forearm. She then caught his leg, and threw the yellow haired mage to the side, watching as he went sliding into the ground until he finally came to a stop.  
>Melanie and Lisanna stared each other down. Melanie was still smiling as Lisanna dawned a serious demeanor. Finally, Lisanna charged the water dragon slayer, using her animal soul magic to take on a cat like appearance. She began swinging her claws in rapid succession. Melanie began evading the assault, finally gaining space by leaping off to the side. As she landed, she began inhaling the air around her. "Roar! Of the Water Dragon!" She threw her head forward, firing off her patented dragon's roar. Lisanna was off guard at first, but then quickly leaped out the way, leaving Elfman it in the targets sight. "Elf-nii!"<br>"Huh?" Elfman turned right into the funnel of water dragon magic, leaving his feet as the funnel slammed him into the ground after traveling a couple of yards more. "Ugh.." He rubbed his head as he made his way to his feet. "Yay! I thought I missed!" Melanie yelled as she clapped to herself. By this time, Flynn made his way back to his feet, only to have Mirajane right in front of him. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his feet, now holding her sharp nails inches away from his face. "Ready to talk?" Mirajane asked the speed of twilight zone. Flynn laughed. "Not yet." He then snapped his fingers, creating a yellow magic seal under them both. As Mirajane reared her arm back to deliver the strike, her entire body began to slow down dramatically. She would eventually give a look of confusion, due to the speed change her facial features took a while to show it. Unaffected by his own magic, Flynn quickly slipped out of the demon takeover's grasp and landed on the ground. He then threw a hard kick to her abdomen. Mirajane went stumbling, but Flynn caught her before she left the circle, only to throw another kick, sending her the opposite way.  
>"Mira-nee!" Lisanna took her eyes off Melanie, who now slid beside her, and threw a water magic infused knee to Lisanna's abdomen, causing her to fold over. "Get off of my sister!" Elfman roared, and with the speed of his Weretiger takeover, he appeared right in front of Melanie with his fist reared back. Melanie stood in complete shock, completely off guard. Before Elfman's punch could connect, a cloud of dark smoke appeared between them both. His fist stopped short, and once the smoke disappeared, the Slight of Hand Mage was shown, with Elfman's fist within his palm. "Rylo!" Melanie yelled with joy. "But...I thought you were after Natsu?"<br>Rylo grinned. "Don't worry Melanie, Natsu isn't going anywhere right now." Elfman sneered from the fact his punch was easily halted. "There's another one?" His comment caused Rylo to smirk. "I don't appreciate you three outnumbering my guild mates. So lets even the odds, Melanie stay on the girl." Rylo then quickly let go of Elfman's hand as he slammed his own to the ground, following with a hard back kick to his chin. Elfman once again is taken off his feet, except he recovers in mid flip, now wiping his chin from the blow he just took. Elfman stared the Slight of Hand Mage down. As he did, he began another takeover, turning into his Beast Soul. "It doesn't matter about the numbers. Against Fairy Tail, the odds are always against you."  
>Rylo smirked once again, now giving Elfman the "bring it" notion with his hands. "Then by all means, show me your performance."<p>

.

"Last chance, Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox...and Lucy Heartfilia."  
>"Why did you say my name like that!?" Lucy yelled in question, embarrassed by the nonchalant tone her name was called in. Odin then continued. "Either surrender, or be taken by force. We have the upper hand."<br>"Good!" Natsu exclaimed as he punched his fists together, igniting flames within them both. "It's always more fun when we have a disadvantage!" "You heard him!" Gajeel added as he and Pantherlily hopped down from the table, now standing next to Lucy. "Looks like we aren't leaving without a fight. A fight you're going to regret."  
>"Oh..I'm not lifting a finger." Odin replied, causing looks of confusion upon the faces of the Fairy Tail mages. Odin then pointed to Ceaser and Taranis. "This is their job. Not mine. But I will hand them some other assistance." Odin grinned as he began walking out, the bubbles that were Levy and Wendy floating behind him. He then snapped his fingers, and bursting through the walls of the guild were countless numbers of council guards. Odin walked through one of the holes in the walls, leaving with the two females. "Levy, Wendy! No you don't!" Natsu ran after Odin, only to be cut off by Taranis, who slammed a lightning infused uppercut into Natsu's chin. He quickly grabbed The Salamander by his foot and slung him back to the ground. Gajeel interrupted his next attack by firing an iron pole towards Taranis's head.<br>The lightning demon slayer dodged it by leaping away. Ceaser then ran towards Gajeel, and swung a hard right haymaker. Gajeel met him halfway with a punch of his own, the two fists colliding for a minor shockwave. "So what are you anyways? I don't see you using any magic.." Gajeel asked the orange haired mage in front of him."  
>"Oh..right...magic. I almost forgot." Ceaser's comment caused Gajeel to blink in confusion. That quickly went away as Ceaser's hair began to waver. A magic seal appeared under his feet, breaking apart the guild floor in the process of the magic aura rising. "Pharaoh takeover: Horus." Ceaser then sprouts giant, falcon like wings from his back. He now stood bare chested, with a band wrapped tightly around his biceps and two golden colored gauntlets that start at his hand and runs up to his forearm. He now had a long cloth wrapped around his lower body with an Egyptian style belt around his waist. His feet now dawned sandals which wrapped around up to his ankles. "A take over mage huh?" Gajeel gave an unimpressed look at Ceaser who now stood in his takeover. He then reared another fist back. "Not impressed!" He then slammed the fist into Ceaser's chest. Though the Takeover mage winced, he was barely phased nor did he move. His wincing turned into a grin as a golden light began to cover over him like a silhouette. "One of my takeover's effects." Ceaser gloats. "My defense is near impenetrable. Also.." He threw his hand to the side, putting it through a magic circle that just appeared. Once he brought his hand back, it now carried a sword just a tall as the giant mage himself. Without warning, he swung it downward. Gajeel quickly leaped out of the way, causing the impact of the blade to nearly completely destroy the entire floor, causing random spots to either elevate or break off into the basement due to it's strength. "What was that!?" Gajeel exclaimed to himself as he stood on an elevated piece of what was remaining on the floor of Fairy Tail.<br>As some of the guards fell through the floor, the majority was able to make their way to the elevated spots, along with the mages and exceeds. Lucy stood with Pantherlily, basically on an island surrounded by council guards. Lucy quickly pulled out a key as Lily grabbed his sword. "Taurus!" Quickly, out of his gate, the celestial bull Taurus appeared and swung his axe down, the impact causing guards to scatter. Lily swung his sword horizontally, keeping the guards away as long as he could. "There's too many!" She yelled as Taurus stood in front of her. "Gajeel!" Pantherlily yelled to gain his partner's attention. "We have no business here! We have to go after Levy and Wendy!"  
>Gajeel leaped away, back against the wall as he nodded. "Right! Shit!" He ducked as Ceaser swung a horizontal strike with his sword, causing the wall of Fairy Tail to break apart violently. "Don't let them escape!" A random guard yelled.<br>"Don't worry." Taranis smirked as he held a barely conscious Natsu by the wrist. "Dragneel isn't going anywhere."  
>"Max speed!" From behind, Happy head butted Taranis right in the skull, causing him to drop Natsu. Happy then quickly flew around and caught Natsu before he plummeted into the basement, then took off through a second floor window. Gajeel rolled away from Ceaser and leaped into the air, allowing Lily to latch on to his back and follow Happy out the window.<br>"...HEY! YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME!" Lucy yelled as she flailed viciously. "Happy!"  
>"Oh no! I forgot! Happy cried out. "Quick, turn around! Natsu yelled back."<br>Lucy found herself surrounded, the guards stepping closer and closer. Before she could be grabbed, she was suddenly lifted into the air.  
>"Huh..? Charla!" Lucy looked up to see the white exceed Charla carrying her. "Happy's right...you are heavy."<br>"NOT NOW!"  
>"Did anyone see where they took Levy and Wendy!?" Gajeel asked. "I'm sure they're headed to the council headquarters!" Lucy yelled back. "Then lets go!" Natsu shouted, Happy quickly taking off. "Shouldn't we get the others!?"<br>Gajeel looked back at the blonde haired mage as they all took off. "They'll be fine. Levy and Wendy aren't."

.

Siegrain walked out of the council headquarters, escorted by all of the captains, except for Odin and Lahar. Also with them were Ultear and Doranbolt, and a number of council guards. "Right this way sir." A council guard spoke, leading the council leader himself to an awaiting chariot. One by one they filed in, Siegrain first, and sat inside the covered carriage. The guards filed in, sitting in their own assigned wagons as Siegrain's took off first. There were ten wagons in all. All of them were filled with at least ten soldiers. He sat there with a content smile on his face as he crossed his leg over the other. "So whatcha thinking Senpai?" Correll asked the magic council leader. He waited a few seconds before answering. "Thinking about the new world we're going to create is all, Correll." Correll then grew a smirk as he laid his head back against the head rest of his seat. "Yeah, this is an amazing plan of yours."  
>"But don't you think you're rushing it?" Ultear asked. "These things take time, and the lacrima chair isn't ready yet."<br>"You don't have to worry about that Ultear." Siegrain added. "The only thing that it does is kill the person strapped to it. We'll fix that later on. For now, I'm going to use it to make an example out of someone." "Finally!" Correll yelled in response. "That's my kind of justice!"  
>"Tch. Blind kid.." Doranbolt mumbled to himself."<br>"I for one agree with all of this." The new first captain spoke, his face still covered now by the shade from the cover of the carriage. "No matter how docile they seem, they won't have true respect nor fear of the council until we take out one of theirs." Ultear listened to the first captain's words, and then grinned. "That's funny coming from you."  
>"What's that mean?" The unknown captain asked. Siegrain quickly darted his eyes to the teasing Ultear. She gave a nonchalant shrug. "Oh nothing. You wouldn't understand if I told you anyways, 'Riley,' first captain of the council headquarters."<br>"I don't like your tone." The man now revealed as Riley replied, the tension within the wagon becoming thick until Siegrain clapped his hands to mentally separate the two. "Enough of that. Now, once we get to the stronghold, I want a 'volunteer' from either guild in the chair. Throw the others in a cell. Sound good."  
>"Yes sir." A statement of unison called out from the party within the carriage. The council leader went back to his inner thoughts as he waited patiently for the ride to end. "What I have planned will change the world for the better. Not only that, I can finally get them/ out of my hair. Note to self, criminals are not people to make deals with. They're just as bad as demons."

.

"It sure is taking Skye a long time to come back.." Almaz noted as he stood next to a sitting yet unconcerned Reve, still hidden in the branches. "She's fine. She used to be an assassin. Not getting caught is her thing." Reve added. He stayed where he was seated, his left foot dangling from the branch as he waited patiently for Skye to return.

Mathias walked, now with Skye blade on his back, carrying the sword requip mage over his shoulders. The unconscious female hung there as Mathias grinned at the figure he was walking towards. A few steps later, and Lahar could be seen with a wave of council soldiers behind him. Mathias happily handed Skye over to Lahar, who gave her to one of the soldiers. The council guard then carried her to a carriage, placing her in magic sealing cuffs and tossing her into the back. "Nice work Mathias, to you and your guild. It seems that White Eclipse is now separated inside that forest huh? Well your guild will be rewarded for every capture we come up with."  
>Mathias nodded. "It wasn't a problem. We aren't big fans of this, but like Tristan said, it benefits our guild. Money is tight these days for us mages."<br>Lahar nodded once more before turning to his platoon. "Alright men! Spread out and apprehend every White Eclipse mage you can find! Let no one escape!" And on Lahar's command, the soldiers ran past him and Mathias as they entered the snowy forest.

Luke Takeru and Cygnus continued sprinting through the forest to run from Serenity who was hot on their trail. "Let me fight her!" Takeru barked as he was being comically pulled away by both Cygnus and Luke. Finally, the three mages came to a stop, Cygnus and Luke panting as they hid behind a line of trees. "I can take her!" Tak yelled once more. Cygnus then covered his mouth to keep him from yelling. "No you can't, don't be stupid!"  
>"That ship has sailed." Luke added. Takeru glared at the Copy Cat, but as he did so, he could hear the battle cries of a swarm of people heading their way. It wasn't long until Cygnus and Luke heard it as well. "...It's the council!" Luke yelled. "Quick! To the right!" Cygnus says as he grabbed the rebellious shadow dragon slayer Takeru. "We're running out of room!" Tak yelled. "We're gonna have to fight sooner or later!" "Well until that time comes, keep running until we can find the others!" Luke replied back.<p>

Zalen was face down into the snow with Tristan's knee in his back to subdue him. He now had steel braces around his wrist, constricting him. Jaxon, Waiston and Kuro surrounded the ace, but dared not to make a move, unsure of what the steel maker would do to their guild mate. "Don't just stand there!" Zalen yelled through the snow. "Take him out!" Jaxon took a step forward, and as he did, Tristan reacted by setting his hands into position, ready to manipulate steel once again. Kuro and Waiston slowly moved in a circle around Tristan, looking for an opening. Kuro also held his hands in his fire make position as he stalked around him. "There's no way around this." Tristan commented, keeping his eyes on all three of the mages. "Just surrender. In fact..." Just like Luke, Tak and Cygnus, the mages could now hear the arrival of the council guards drawing near. "Is that?" Jaxon looked around him as he tried to pinpoint the sounds. "Yup, that's the council alright. All of this is useless. Just surrender now, or be taken down sooner or later."  
>Jaxon stared at the downed Zalen, who managed to look back at Jaxon. Zalen then nodded. Jaxon hesitated, but then, he created a magic seal below him, Waiston and Kuro. In the next second, three clouds were formed, and took the mages into the sky. "Zalen!" Kuro called out, hopelessly reaching for his guild mate. Tristan watched, stunned that he let such a thing happen. "Get back here!"<br>"We have to go back!" Kuro yelled. "We can't leave Zalen!"  
>"Zalen will be okay, it's no use if we all get captured.." Waiston replied. "I saw the look he gave Jaxon. They came to terms..lets just find Reve quickly!"<br>"I said get back here! Steel make:-" Tristan stood up off of the building mage, and before he could complete his spell, Zalen trips him up, causing Tristan to fall into the snow. Zalen quickly hops up and begins running away, only to run into a hard kick to the sternum. The council guards now surrounded him, cuffing him quickly. Tristan rose to his feet, dusting the snow off as he looked to the sky. "That still counts as my capture!" Tristan yelled as he took off behind the three traveling clouds.

"Time to shine! Wind make: lancers!" Clover stood into his maker stance, and threw his arms forward, from his clear magic circle, a bunch of near invisible lances fired towards Trinity. The demon slayer grinned, and leaped into the branches, causing the lances to miss completely. Trinity then dive bombed right for Clover, his right hand swirling with his poison demon magic. The elemental make mage dove out of the way, rolling in the snow as Trinity's incoming attack. The impact from the demon slayer's attack breaks apart a small radius of the ground around him. "Tch." Clover turned to to go on the offensive, but Trinity quickly covered ground, now swinging his poisonous hands towards him. Just barely evading, now with desperation, clover quickly lunges out of the way, turning and setting up for another technique. "Water make:-"  
>"Bullets of the poison demon." Before Clover could attack, Trinity beats him to it but extending his index finger, now firing off a plethora of bullet shaped poison demon magic towards the mage before him. Clover's eyes widen, and he quickly changed his mind from offense to defense. "Dome!" Quickly, a wall made from water magic surrounded Clover, just strong enough to protect him from the poison bullets. Once the bullets stopped, Clover released the dome, only to lose track of Trinity. He looked around cautiously. Above him, Trinity roared out as he plunged towards the mage, tackling him to the ground and leaving him face first into he snow. He then held a palm right beside his face. "Squirm and I'll give my poison a first class trip into your lungs."<br>Clover winced and then snarled at the mage on top of him. "I hope Kairi's plan includes saving me.." He thought to himself as Trinity begins to laugh. As he did, footsteps began to become louder within the snow. Clover shifted his eyes upward to see a few council guards now over him. It was the last thing he saw as one of the guards slammed his weapon over the elemental make mage's head, causing him to black out.

"Why are we running back!?" Selene asked Kairi as she panted. "Did you not hear them!?" Kairi replied. "You're the one with dragon senses here. The council guards are around. We have to get back to Heather before she is...taken." Kairi and Selene stop their running, noticing the empty chair that they both left Heather in. "Heather...!" Selene and Kairi both cried out as they looked around frantically. Footprints were heading in every which direction. "Those idiots! She's gonna die if that poison stays in her!"  
>"Kairi take that way! I'll go left!" The two mages quickly split, running in opposite directions in search for Heather.<br>Back at the outskirts of the forest, Heather was seen with sealing cuffs on her wrists, and being thrown into one of the carriages. "She's been poisoned by Trinity." One of the guards commented. "Being over the antidote he gave Lahar." The guard he was talking to saluted. "Right!" He ran off, and seconds later he came back with a miniature bottle. "Hold her head steady." The first guard commanded, and the other did just that, keeping her mouth open as he placed a few drop in the dragon slayers mouth, then tilting her head back. "Did it work?"  
>"He said it'll take a few minutes to take effect. Until then, take her to the stronghold with the other two."<br>He saluted again. "Right!" The carriage then took off with three of White Eclipse's mages inside.

.

The three mages stood off against the seemingly uninterested ace of Twilight Zone. None of them made a move besides Erza requiping into her Black Wing armor. Evanee stood there in front of them with her arms folded. She slowly cocked a brow upwards at the lack of action between the three. "Trust me." The ace spoke. "You don't want me to go first."  
>Surprisingly, Max was the first to attack. "Sand rebellion!" He leaped towards Evanee, and fired off a blast of sand magic towards her. Evanee simply lifted her right palm, and the attack slammed into her hand, leaving the ace unharmed as the sand attack slowly began to disperse. As she did that, Erza came sliding to Evanee's right, and flew towards her. She swung her sword towards the mage, yet Evanee dodged it by simply leaning away from the sword. She then shoved a kick into the scarlet haired female's abdomen, following it with a hard side kick to her ribs to send her away. As the sand rebellion died, Cana leaped upward, and flung a car under the foot of Evanee, quickly creating a whirlpool of water that seemingly consumed her. The whirlpool spun for a few seconds, until Evanee leaped out of it's eye and away from it, soaked. With a scowl on her face, she glared at the now shocked card mage as she rung her hair free from the water. As she glared towards Cana, Max attempted to ambush her from behind with a giant wave of sand, looking to crush the ace. Evanee grins, and without turning around she holds her arms up to the sky. "Darkness wave." Within the next second, a tidal wave of dark magic meets Max and his wave of sand head on, overpowering the sand wave in less than a second as the darkness wave consumes the mage, spitting him out as it crashes into the ground and disperses. Just like that, Max was unconscious. "Shit, Max!" Cana yelled for her guild mate, but as she did, Evanee appeared beside her. Cana's forearm began to glow, but Evanee quickly grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. She then swept Cana off her feet and throw her to the ground with force. Cana landed head first into the ground, leaving a small crater for her unconscious body to rest in. Erza looked on in disbelief as Evanee stood up, and turned to the scarlet haired. "Hmph..." She gave a small grin as she pointed to Erza. "No more distractions. Lets see what the big deal is, Titania."<br>"Oi! What are you doing to my fellow babies!"  
>Evanee quickly turned around to see Bickslow, Freed and Evergreen floating downward, hovering over Max and Cana. Before she could asses her new situation, a stream of lightning came barreling down right beside Erza. "It never changes around here. I always have to save your scrawny asses."<br>"Laxus!" Erza stood in a bit of surprise as Laxus Dreyar now stood beside her, his arms folded over his chest.  
>"I can't leave the guild to train without you guys getting into trouble." Laxus then turned to the nymph mage in front of him, lightning surging around his body. "And this is the problem?"<br>Evanee cocked another brow. "What do you mean, this?"  
>"Well she did knock Max and Cana out cold?" Bickslow added. "Out cold! Out cold!"<br>"Hmph...that's no difficult task." Freed says, chiming in.  
>"Let me just turn her to stone and get it over with." Evergreen demanded. "Never mind that." Laxus interrupted. "Go make sure the other idiots are okay. Me and Erza will handle this so called 'ace.'" The grin on Evanee's face not only reappeared, but grew exponentially. "You lack respect for your superiors. Let me readjust your attitude."<p>

.

"We're ready when you are sir."  
>"Then turn the lacrima screens on. Are any of the captured here yet?"<br>"Three have arrived. Odin is just now arriving with his."  
>"Good, bring me a random one to place in the chair this instant."<br>Siegrain, after his short conversation with a council guard, was shown standing on the top of a tower, that stood on an island. The island was surrounded by guards and weapons. Just off in the distance, Fiore could be seen. As he stood near the ledge of the tower a giant lacrima screen appeared before him. The same screen appeared around the cities of Fiore, and even a few random places within the country. Most importantly, where Fairy Tail and White Eclipse could see, stopping all action. "Ladies and gentlemen! It is I, your hero! Siegrain! Now, as you all know, about almost a day ago, we've reopened the case of Zeref and the apocalypse culprits from six months ago, all coming to the conclusion that Fairy Tail and White Eclipse were the ones to blame for your near destruction. Well today, I bring you the start of justice!" As he took a step to the right, he bowed as two guards carried Skye into the lone chair that stood on the tower's roof. Now strapped in, the sword requip mage sat there, still unconscious. "This, my loyal followers, is a lacrima extracting chair! Yes his chair, that's hooked up to this machine behind it, has the ability to pull and clone the magic from a mage, and turn it into lacrima! Lacrima for anyone to use!" Now, the only problem with this machine right now is...well it's violent. In fact, it kills. Mages don't survive but don't worry we are working on the kinks to that for later! But then I thought..hey! Why don't we use the prototype as a punishment first! I mean, these mages tried to kill you right!?" Though he couldn't hear their responses, he could see the cheers if the civilians of each city through the screen, as well as the shocked and horrified faces of not only Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, but the others, Black Phoenix and Twilight Zone.  
>"I...I didn't know they were going to do this.." Evanee stated as she dropped her guard.<br>"That's going too far!" Tristan yelled as he watched the screen.  
>"Yeah they deserve it!" A random citizen of Magnolia yelled out.<br>"Take her to the grave!" Another yelled.  
>Siegrain allowed the news to settle in, then spoke again. "This is the best part! Like I said before, this machine extracts and then clones magic! Which means...anyone will soon be able to be a mage! No more wasting your money on paying these guilds for your problems! You'll be able to handle them alone! Once this machine is fixed of it's bugs, lacrima will go on the market! And with our promising captures, there will be all kinds, even dragon slaying! Until then..." Siegrain then pointed to Skye and the chair. "Just hang on tight! The show will start in two hours!" Seigrain turned to walk away, the lacrima screen shutting off as well as Magnolia and the other magic-less civilians began cheering and chanting.<p>

"They have Skye! Reve we have to-...Reve!?" As Almaz took his eyes off the closing screen, he looked around to see that Reve has disappeared. All he saw was footprints in the snow, heading back towards the guild.  
>He ran full speed, ignoring his own panting as he made his way out of the woods and past the guild.<p>

"Skye...hold on."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Storm the Front Line! A Strategy and an Impulse!

"Uhh...Ugh.." Heather sat up, shaking off the grogginess in her head as her blurry eyes slowly came to a clear vision. "Huh?" She looked at her hands, and then touched her face, no longer feeling the bags under her eyes. "I'm no longer poisoned.."  
>"That's the least of our worries." Zalen chimed in.<br>"He's right..." Clover added. Heather looked at Zalen and her newer guild mate, and then began to look around where she was. It finally connected. "How did we end up here?" She asked. Clover stood up from the single bed he was sitting on. "The council guards got to us, all three of us thanks to Black Phoenix. Now we're here in this holding cell. What's worse, is that they have some execution chair, and Skye is strapped in."  
>"What!?" Heather quickly made her way to her feet. "When is it!?"<br>"They say in two hours, about ten minutes ago." Zalen replied. "I don't know how we're gonna get out of here but we have to save her right?" Clover asked.  
>"Of course we do! She's one of us we have to-"<br>"Hey! Quiet in there!" Cutting Heather off was a large stocky male. He wore a council uniform, just like Rizu's, except it was a light brownish. His scraggly red hair could be seen under his hat. He had a matching rough beard as well. On his shoulders, were chains that wrapped around his torso. He now stood in front of their cell with a snarky grin. The man stood a good six and a half feet tall. "I don't want to hear your pointless conversation. Besides, it's impossible to escape the council stronghold anyways."  
>"Stronghold? Is that where we are?" Clover asked. "No shit kid weren't you listening?" The man fired back. He then pointed to himself. "And I'm the warden of this prison floor. Basement floor warden Drail."<br>"Your name isn't important to me." Heather retorted as she crossed her arms. "Normally, an idiot like you would be wrong." Drail fired back, leaving Heather sneering at the warden. "But since you'll soon have your turn in the chair, you're right, my name isn't important to you."  
>"Hey!" Zalen quickly stepped to the warden, now face to face with him. The only thing that separated them was the impenetrable wall that constricted magic. "What are they going to do with Skye!?"<br>"Huh? The assassin girl? Weren't you listening? She's in the chair and she'll be gone in less than two hours. And one of you are up next." Drail began laughing as he started walking off, his chains rattling around his torso with every step he took. "Don't worry, two hours will be here before you know it!"

"Levy...I'm scared." Wendy and Levy sat on the bed of the cell they were now locked in. Wendy stayed close to Levy, as they were not alone. "Don't worry Wendy." Levy stated as she rubbed her shoulder, yet keeping an eye on the figures across from them. "This room constricts magic,  
>so they can't attack us."<br>"Oh please!" The first figure walks into view. "You fairies I can rip apart without my angelic magic."  
>"Now now Angel." The next figure then walked out into view as well. "There's no need to be hostile towards our new guests." Levy quickly stood in front of Wendy. "Stay away from us! We aren't doing anything to you!" Levy yelled. "But miss, your guild is the reason we're in here. Not so much fun when the cuffs are on your wrists huh?"<br>"I'm warning you, Zero!" Wendy yelled, making her way around and now standing next to Levy.  
>"Ah, the Cait Shelter girl." Zero grinned. He and Angel took a step back. "We have no quarrels with you anymore. We're pretty sure you'll be in that lacrima chair they invented before the day is over."<br>"No we won't!" Wendy yelled. "We're gonna be-"  
>"I can hear it." A voice from the other side of the hall interrupts Wendy. "I can hear your petty thoughts. You actually believe that Natsu and the others will come and save you in time. Do you not realize where you are?" Cobra walked up to the wall of his cell to become visible. He had a grin on his face as he closed his one good eye, now leaning on the see through wall.<br>"You poor fools. Even 'father' here can't escape from the stronghold." Another voice rung out from the same room, and steps later, Midnight appeared. "They even let us try once, and we failed miserably. What makes you think you're goody goody friends can do it?"  
>"T-they will!" Wendy stuttered out, tears forming in her eyes. "Just watch!"<br>"Sorry kid. I couldn't even outrun them." From their right, though they couldn't see him, Racer spoke. "Me and Hoteye here weren't fast enough. That's how you know that you're stuck here."  
>Wendy began shaking her head in denial. "They'll come! Just wait!" Levy gave Wendy a small hug, quietly shushing her as she whimpered. "Be a big girl now, and don't let them get to you. We'll be okay."<br>"Aye aye aye aye aye! What's with all this commotion huh?" Wendy and Levy looked up, and now standing at the wall was a tall, slender female wearing a light blue council uniform. Around her waist, a whip dangled down to her knees. She had black hair that ran down to the small of her back. "Valry..." Zero mumbled.  
>The female gave a grin as she unwrapped the whip with one tug and whipped it against the ground leaving a small hole from the force. "You causing problems in here, Zero? You want a repeat of last time?" Zero stayed quiet, merely growling at the female before him. "Repeat? Is she that strong?" Levy asked. "Stronger than you think, Levy McGarden." Valry replied. "I am Valry. Second floor prison warden of the Council Stronghold. And you two, are my new guests; temporarily of course." She put her face to the wall and gave an exaggerated smile to them both. "So just sit tight. Your time is coming up soon." Valry then began walking off before she turned one last time. "Oh, and about your friends coming to rescue you as you say. I hope they try, I need some action!"<p>

.

"We're screwed!" Selene yelled as she ran with Kairi. "We left Heather, then we left Clover..!" "No need to point out the obvious!" Kairi yelled back as she kept running forward, trying to make their way out of the woods so they too could hopelessly make a cross country sprint to the council stronghold. As they ran, the council guards still around spotted them, and began charging towards them as well. "There's no time to go around!" Kairi exclaimed. She readied an attack along with Selene, until Trinity dashed right by them, and with his poison claw, he cleared a path with one single strike. "Go!"  
>Weren't you just trying to hunt us!?" Selene asked as they ran by.<br>"We don't promote death. Not like this. This was our cause, and your guild mates don't deserve to lose their lives now go! Ill hold em off from here!" Kairi and Selene nodded as they didn't hesitate to leave Trinity with the swarm of council guards. Finally making it out of the forest, Kairi and Selene look over to their right, noticing Takeru and the others appear. Somewhat behind them, was the rest of the guild who wasn't captured. "Kairi!" Takeru yelled.  
>"We know!" She yelled back. She then turned back ahead to see Aira running towards them. "Aira turn around! We have a problem!"<br>"I saw!" The wind mage yelled back, waiting on her guild mates. "There's no way we can make it there in time on foot though! Especially since the stronghold is on an island!"  
>"Oh there's a way!" Kairi replied. "We're gonna need help but there's a way to get there in time." She then yelled out. "Everyone! Follow me! We're making a stop at Blue Pegasus!"<p>

She slammed a random guard hard I to the snow, past the many inches as the council guard's head hit the ground with heavy impact. "Your captains didn't say anything about a death penalty!" Serenity growled, holding into his collar with evil intentions. "I...I didn't know either!" The guard cried back. "I'm just doing my job!" "Here's your new job then." Serenity growled. "Survive this fall!" She then launched the guard into the air, losing sight of him as he hit the sky. "Black Phoenix!" She yelled out, her voice echoing through the forest. "We've already agreed!" Tristan added as he dragged a couple of unconscious guards with him. By this time, the other members quickly made their way back to Serenity, Trinity bringing up the rear as he finished off the swarm of guards he was fighting. "They didn't.."  
>"We know Hitomi." Serenity says, cutting him off. "We didn't sign up for this. If we did then fuck reading the fine print. We're now on the Fairies and White Eclipse's side. Just like that. Which means for now, our mission has now been...aborted."<br>"Fine with me, I'm sure we're already marked for our actions anyways." Mathias added.

"And this is why you can't have mages do your job. Thanks for delivering the message soldier."  
>"No problem sir."<br>Siegrain broke communications with the lone guard he was speaking with through lacrima. He then began to laugh as he stood in front of Skye. His laughter caused her to stir, and then finally awaken. "Huh? Where...am I?"  
>"Oh, you're awake." Siegrain turned to face Skye. She tried to move, but couldn't do to being restricted to the chair. "What's going on!?" She yelled, demanding an answer. "No need to panic Miss Ravenwood. You're just...part of an experiment."<br>"An experiment!?" She continued to struggle in her seat, but to no avail. "Let me go!"  
>"Oh but I can't do that. I have plans that revolve around you in that chair." He then turned back to the ledge as the wind blew his blue hair southward. "But don't worry, I'm sure someone will come and try to save you soon enough. I'm betting on it."<p>

.

"I feel betrayed. They said nothing about this."  
>"Yeah well, that's what you get for trusting Siegrain and the magic council. Now, one of White Eclipse's mages is going to die. "Laxus replied to the nymph mage. Evanee looked up at the dragon slayer. "They have that Wendy and Levy girl too.<br>"What!?" Laxus face completely turned to shock. Erza turned back into her normal Heart Kruez armor. "We need to get to the stronghold. If we book it now, we can make it in time to save them."  
>"Say no more Erza! The Raijinshū is on it!" Bickslow exclaimed. "On it on it!" His dolls chimed in. Freed then nodded as an awakened Cana and Max slowly stood up, rubbing their heads. "We need to gather the others, and quickly!"<br>"No need!" Running up behind Evanee, was the three Strauss siblings, Gray and Juvia, and the guild members from Twilight Zone. "We stopped, because I'm sorry Evanee but we didn't sign up for leading them to a death penalty."  
>"I know Rylo. We came to that conclusion already." Evanee. Replied. "Okay! Lets move! This team should be strong enough to storm that place!" Laxus took lead, quickly running towards the shore of Fiore. "Hang on, Levy, Wendy!"<p>

.

"Here they come. Siegrain grinned as alarms began blaring throughout the island. Countless of guards rushed out of the tower and towards the north side of the island. The Bluenette stood on the ledge grinning as he saw three dots in the sky. A few seconds later, they showed to be Natsu, Gajeel and Lucy, being carried by exceeds. "Ah, the fairies are here first. And planning on running in head first? Sounds about right."  
>"Man your cannons!" A guard yelled. "Do not let them get through!" Guards left and right ran to positioned cannons that stood at the shore of the island, all eventually taking aim at the three flying mages and waiting for permission to fire.<br>"Here we go!" Natsu yelled. "Remember." Gajeel added. "Don't let anything that can constrict your magic get to you! No sealing handcuffs, nothing!  
>"Right!" Lucy nodded as she grabbed her keys.<br>"Ready! Fire!" A council guard threw his hand down, and the ones manning the cannons open fired. Beams of Etherion hurled towards the incoming mages. "Lookout!" Natsu yelled, and the three exceeds scattered. Evading the incoming beams. "Etherion cannons!? Miniature versions? Where did they get the stuff for this!?" Lucy asked. "It's the council, they get what they want." Charla replied.  
>"Quick lets get to the ground!" Gajeel pointed as Lily began swooping down at a fast pace, directly towards the cannons. "Roar, of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu fired off a giant funnel of fire dragon magic, right into one of the cannons, causing it to explode as the guards around it scattered. A few more explode around it from the radius of the first one, causing even more guards to scatter as well. "Look out!"<br>"Alright!" Lucy reached for a key. "Charla, drop me in the water!"  
>"Finally!" The exceed responded, not hesitating to let the celestial mage go. Lucy plummeted into the ocean just off the shore of the island, just dodging a beam of Etherion. A few seconds later, a beam of light appeared and slowly rising from the water was Aquarius. Her calm demeanor quickly turned into her usual psychotic expression as she began inhaling the water with her jar. "I'll sweep you all away!" The mermaid yelled as she did just that, clearing nearly the entire front line with her magic, leaving only a few cannons standing. By this time, Lily dropped Gajeel onto the beach. The iron dragon slayer came to a sliding stop, right beside a manned cannon. He grabbed the guard controlling it, and launched him out of the cannon, over Lucy's head who just made it to shore and into the ocean. "Gihi! Lets see how this works!" Gajeel hopped onto the controls and turned the cannon to the other few remaining ones. With a lucky guess, he opened fired, destroying the remaining cannons before denting the one he was controlling with his iron fist until it was beyond use. Natsu had just touched down as well, and the three mages and exceeds immediately take off towards the tower.<br>"HA! See that! And they're not even White Eclipse mages! Just wait until Reve and the others get here!" Skye boasted. Siegrain turned to the mage with a smile and walked towards her. He then bent down to her, and backhanded her across her cheek. "Quiet now. You're pretty dumb if you think I expected that to stop anyone, let alone The Salamander and the others. This is all a test. I want them to get as far as possible. Because it's not about getting in dear Skye. It's about escaping..."

.

He panted heavily, yet he still pushed through his exhaustion. Reve was out in the seemingly endless plains, running south as he made his way to the stronghold. No matter how hopeless it seemed, the gunslinger ran as if he was going to make it within the next hour. "Skye.. I'm coming! I won't let you die like that just hang on okay!"  
>"Reve! Reve!" As the gunslinger ran, a giant shadow hovered over him. He didn't look up until her heard Kairi's voice call out to him. "Reve you stubborn idiot look up!" He finally looked up, to see the Blue Pegasus ship Christina fly over him. A wave of relief washed over him as he gave a wave back.<br>Now on the ship, he stood panting as he attempted to catch his breath. Kairi then came up behind him and punched the gunslinger in the back of the head. "You're lucky Heather got captured too! Or you'd get a mouthful about letting Skye get captured. Skye, Reve!? Weren't you watching her!?"  
>"I...I kinda yelled at her, and told her to go scout some area that didn't need scouting. This is my fault."<br>"Oh! That's different, then I can cuss you out! You idiot!"  
>"Calm down!" Taya interjected. She stood next to her sister Nami along with the rest of the guild. "What we need now is a plan."<br>"A plan indeed." From a door appeared Ichiya and the Trimen. "A plan would be the best perfume right now."  
>"The only plan we need is to go in there and stop them from killing Skye!" Reve exclaimed. Taya shook her head. "Okay, now lets think of an actual form of attack. We'll be there shortly thanks to Blue Pegasus." Before Ren, Hibiki and Eve could say anything. They slid to Taya, ready to flirt with her, but now stood with bumps on their heads before they could get a word out. "Now is not the time!"<br>"Okay! Plan time!" Kuro yelled.  
>"Ah but before you make this plan..." Ichiya interrupted. "We have to make a quick scoop up." He winked and pointed off to the right. "Isn't that where they are Hibiki?"<br>Hibiki reactivated his archive magic then shook his head. "To the left Senpai."  
>Ichiya then majestically spun<br>And pointed to the left of the ship, now noticing a couple of mages running southward as well. "Is that..." Reve paused.  
>"Hey it's Fairy Tail!" Kuro yelled as he began waving. "Hi! Hello! Gray, Erza, Laxus! Over here! And look they're with other mages...that I don't know!" Reve crossed his arms as the ship turned to the running mages, quickly flying over them. He was only focused on one thing. "Hang on guys... We're coming."<p>

.

With a fiery explosion, the door to the stronghold breaks open. Natsu Gajeel and Lucy run through, Lucy bringing up the rear as Natsu and Gajeel fight their way through the wave of guards in front of them. "Fire Dragon's wing slash!" "Iron Dragon's club!" Natsu goes soaring by a groups of council guards, his fiery attack tossing them into the air every which way; while Gajeel used his iron club to take out an entire line of the council guards in the way. The continued to attack the seemingly endless swarm with ease as Lucy and the exceeds watched. "It never gets old huh?" Charla says. They all then shake their head in unison, agreeing on the unbelievable strength between the two. "Natsu is still better." Happy whispered, causing Lily to side eye the blue exceed. "Don't start."  
>The coast was clear, and then they all begin running through again until they finally came to a staircase, leading both ways. "Lily! Charla!" Gajeel yelled as he quickly made his way down to the basement floor. "Right!" They both followed him down as Lucy and Happy quickly followed Natsu upward. "Levy! Wendy!" Natsu yelled as he continued to run up the staircase. "Levy! Wendy!"<br>"Natsu!" Wendy's ears perked up. And she ran to the wall that held her from freedom. She then began banging on the wall. "Natsu!"  
>"Well well." Cobra chuckled. "He's in...but now that he's here. How will he get out."<br>"He won't!" Valry says with a laugh, snapping her whip by her side. "We have a perfect record to keep. So come on Salamander.

Come join your friends in the council stronghold!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Raid on the Stronghold! Enter the Lieutenants!

"Get out of the way!" Natsu yelled as he slammed a fiery uppercut into a bunch of council guards. The explosiveness behind his punches sent a group of council guards flying every which way. "Rush them and take them down!" A council guard yelled. "Cuffed them both and take them down!" The wave of guards rush the two mages and Happy. "I said. Out of the way!" Natsu picks up speed, running into the wave of guards head first. At first, as he hit the middle of the wave, the guards piled on top of him. Seconds later after a brief struggle, a towering inferno shoots out from the middle, blowing the guards away and off of The Salamander as he roared in what seemed like frustration. "There's so many!" Happy yelled as the wave of guards continued to grow, swarming around Natsu. "We're gonna need help!"  
>Lucy gave a grin as she held up a key. "We have all the help we need. Gate of the Lion, Loke!" Out of his gate, the celestial lion, Loke appeared next to Lucy, pushing his glasses up to his eyes. "You called?"<br>Lucy then pointed towards the crowd of guards surrounding Natsu. "Help Natsu out!" Loke nodded, and then leaped into the middle of the mob of soldiers, now back to back with The Salamander as he held a grin. Natsu nodded back to his new found back up, and then they both simultaneously charge into the wave of guards, a mixture of celestial and fire dragon magic coming from their fists and flying every which way. The room was cleared within minutes. "Good job Loke!" Lucy exclaimed happily to her celestial spirit. "Anything for your love, Lucy." Loke then appeared where Lucy was once standing, now carrying the celestial mage bridal style. "Alright...time for you to go back..now." Lucy replied as she gave him a shooing type of wave. As Lucy hopped down from the disappearing Loke, more footsteps were heard coming from behind. "They're swarming us!" Happy yelled as he flailed about. "Don't worry about them! Lets keep going ahead!" Natsu replied as he ran forward. Lucy and Happy quickly followed behind The Salamander.

"I don't know Valry." Cobra says as he gave the warden a smirk. "This guy that's on his way here. He's pretty different. He's the reason we're all in here."  
>Valry snapped her whip again. She then gave a "Tch" as she turned her attention to Cobra, placing a hand on her hips. "That's not a hard fear Erik."<br>"Don't call me that!" Cobra snapped back, placing his hands against the wall as if he had the ability to break it down. Valry then began laughing. "If they even make it here, they won't get past me. I can tell by the noise going on that they're making progress. But all of that stops now. "Valry smirks as she digs through her pocket, picking up a whistle soon after. She placed the whistle to her lips and gave a blow. Cobra covered his ears in pain as the high pitched sound echoed throughout the halls. Seconds later, two men in council guard uniform, both of them identical except one of them had white hair while the other's was black, comically ran up to Valry. They now stood in front of her, saluting. They both were short in height, about five feet five inches each and scrawny statured as well. "Mam! Second floor Lieutenants twins White and Black reporting for duty mam!" The two spoke in unison. "At ease loves." Valry commanded, causing them to drop their salutes. "As you can hear, we have some intruders coming this way. You know the drill. Don't let them past you. Apprehend them and give them a nice prison cell to stay comfy in okay?"  
>"Yes mam!" The two spoke again. They both then turned around. White gave off a blinding light that quickly disappeared, along with both lieutenants. Valry then turned back to Levy and Wendy with her same grin, snapping her whip once more. "You fools have no idea about the soldiers and weapons we hold within this stronghold. This is only the second floor, for higher up criminals like yourself. Yet, this isn't even the toughest floor. Besides the basement, the higher you go the harder it is. I hope they didn't plan on saving that Skye girl, because if somehow they do manage to get past me, which won't happen, it only gets much harder from here.<p>

Pantherlily and Gajeel ran in front of Charla, slamming their fists into any and every council soldier that dared step in their way. Making short work of the waves in front of them, they continued running through the long hallway on the basement floor. As soon as they turned the corner, Gajeel grabbed the lone guard by his collar and slammed him into the floor, quickly knocking him unconscious. Lily then ran ahead, catching two more of the guards attention. Before the could react, Lily scooped them both up in each arm, and rammed them into the opposite wall, knocking them out cold. They continued their run down the hallway, Gajeel looking inside each cell to see if he saw his guild mates. Nothing. "Tch.." He kept running along with the two exceeds, turning the corner once more until they came to what seemed like a dead end. At the end however, was what seemed like an elevator, sitting above a body of water. Lily walked towards the clear blue water, now standing on the ledge as he looked down into the water. "...there's another floor down there. But I doubt anyone can hold their breath that long."  
>"Know what that means." Charla says as she nudged Gajeel's leg and then pointed to the elevator. Immediately, Gajeel began feeling ill as sweat began to form on his forehead. "...Lets get it over with." As he spoke, he heard more footsteps coming their way. "Quickly! Before the catch up!" He and the two exceeds run over to the elevator, hopping inside as the door closes. Pantherlily pressed the only button inside the elevator and the second it started descending, Gajeel began gagging, holding his hand over his mouth as his face began turning blue. Lily patted his partner on the back. "Hang in there..." Charla looked out the only visible window that was also the door as they descending down. "We're in the ocean...they've really put this place together.." The white exceed noted. Once the elevator stopped, the doors opened to it's new floor. Gajeel crawled out, trying to regain his composure. "Ugh...they better be here..." The Iron Dragon slayer groaned out. Pantherlily and Charla stop as Gajeel crawls a few more feet until he runs into someone's legs. He looks up to see an average height male with purple hair that fell to his shoulders. He wore the standard council guard uniform. On his hands, were tattoos of different designs, running all the way to his finger tips. Under his chin, more tattoos could be seen as well; random designs that were hard to make out due to his clothing covering them up. The purple haired male narrowed his eyes at the slowly recovering Dragon Slayer. "And what do you think you're doing?" He asked. Gajeel couldn't answer. Instead he began forcing his way up to his feet. "Who are you and where are our friends!?" Lily shouted. "Who am I?" The male in front of them grinned as he tipped his hat back a bit. "My name is Dól. I'm the lieutenant warden of the true basement floor inside the council stronghold. And it seems like you're the intruders we've heard about. Wait! I know you! You're Gajeel Redfox! You used to be in Phantom Lord. Weak little dark guilds are my specialty in torturing down here."<br>Gajeel now stood, finally shaking off the rest of his motion sickness as he stood firm against the male that was just shorter than him. "That's nice and all, but that's the past. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now." Dól began laughing. "Crimes don't erase so easily Redfox. Especially when you've never served for them. But enough talk, like I said, you're trespassing..." The lieutenant unbuttoned and threw away his shirt, revealing his torso and arms to be covered with different types of tattoo designs and art overlapping one another. "Breaking and entering is a crime, along with attempting to free a prisoner. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to bring you in."  
>"Gihi! Give it your best shot! One on one, lets go!"<br>"Oh no...this isn't a one on one." As Dól finished speaking, more running footsteps could be heard behind him. The sound of council guards nearing them grew ever so louder. "If you haven't heard by now, Redfox; getting in is the easy part. Leaving here with your freedom is the impossible task."

.

"And there they are!" Siegrain exclaimed, feigning joy and excitement. Skye looked up to see what the council leader was going on about, and noticed a giant ship in the air, floating towards the island. A smile slowly etched across her face as she watched the Blue Pegasus vessel come into clear view. Her smile grew even wider when she saw Reve standing on the front edge. "I knew they would come.." She said to herself, smiling. "Of course they would little Skye." Siegrain replied as if she was talking to him. "I want them to come. But if they think that they're getting a first class trip to the roof, oh they are sadly mistaken. Men!"  
>"You all remember the plan right?" Erza asked as she looked over the bodies that were joining in on the raid. With Fairy Tail, Erza, Laxus, Gray and Juvia were going to raid the stronghold along with White Eclipse's Reve, Takeru, Taya, Nami and Kairi, and Twilight Zone's Evanee and Rylo. They all stood in a group, except for Reve who stood on the nose of the ship, as the others stood away from them. Erza began to speak again. "If you can't get to the roof, then keep the guards outside busy to that it doesn't get too crowded for us inside. They'll be looking to apprehend you, so watch out for any magic sealing cuffs or anything that can restrict you...take no prisoners.<br>"Don't let us down Flynn, Alexander, Melanie, Ceaser, Taranis." Evanee nodded to her guild mates as Rylo stood behind her with a grin. "Just don't get captured, shorty." The orange haired Ceaser replied. "Look who you're talking to here, Ceaser." Rylo says as he tips his hat.  
>"Good luck guys!" Kuro yelled towards his guild members. Taya and Nami gave Kuro a slight wave as he ship now hovered over the island shore. "Okay Jaxon!" Taya exclaimed to the weather mage. "Give us cover!" "Right!" Jaxon nodded, and with both hands in the air, a green magic seal formed in the sky, creating a sea of dark clouds above the tower. Immediately afterwards, it began raining heavily. The rain was so heavy, it was near impossible to see. As the rain poured down, the mages jumped off of Blue Pegasus'a ship. Erza last to jump due to Ichiya hugging her leg like a affectionate puppy. She kicked him away violently back into the ship as she leaped down to catch up with the others as they ran for the open doors of the stronghold.<br>Skye and Siegrain looked up, noticing the rain falling from the sky, leaving no visible sight of anything. Siegrain grinned and Skye looked on in confusion as they somehow remained dry. Sky narrowed her eyes to try and focus on the falling rain  
>And after a few seconds she caught on. "A dome..."<br>"Not just any dome Skye." Siegrain replied. "This dome is impenetrable. Things can go out, but never in. You'll see soon enough, just watch."  
>"No.." Skye looked on as the ship came closer and closer. Now sitting on the edge was Bickslow and Selene. "Guys! Don't fire!" Skye yelled, but it was to no avail. They couldn't really hear her through the heavy rain fall. "Okay my babies! Aim for that blue haired tyrant and let him have it!" The dolls followed Bickslow's orders and all fired simultaneously towards the council leader. "Roar..of the Diamond Dragon!" Selene added to the dolls' beams with her Diamond Dragon Roar. The unison raid rushes forward, and slams into the invisible dome, only to be bounced back towards the ship at twice the speed. "Heads up!" One of the Trimen Ren yelled, causing everyone to dive to the deck. The reflected unison raid then slams into the flying ship, creating a hole right through the middle. "Hang on, we're going down!" Eve yelled. The ship flies over the tower and then plummets into the island sand behind it, coming to a violent sliding stop. "Is everyone okay?"" Hibiki asked. Though a few people groaned in pain, everyone seemed to be alright. "You guys remember what Erza said." Waiston called out to the others. "Lets take these guys out until they can save our friends!"<br>"Raijinshū!" Freed yelled, causing Bickslow and Evergreen to now float by his side. Cana stood as well, holding her cards in her left hand while Gray stood shirtless next to Juvia.  
>"Alright White Eclipse." Jack says as he nonchalantly gives a call to his guildmates. "Lets do this so I can get a drink soon."<br>"Oi! Shorties!" Ceaser only had to call once for Melanie Taranis Flynn and Alexander to join by his side. As the rain from Jaxon's spell stopped, a flood of guards rushed out of the towers back doors. What seemed like an endless sea of them, we're now charging head on towards the mages. As the last bit of the enormous wave of council guards poured out, behind them were two male guards, wearing matching silver uniforms. One of them was tall and athletically built. He had dark red hair. So dark that the red tint barely showed through. He looked over to his right to see the other male. He stood a bit taller, yet lanky in stature. He was a brunette, his hair short and spiky. The brunette looked back towards the dark red head. "I didn't think we were ever gonna get a run, Trace."  
>The red head, now known as Trace, turned back to the brunette with a toothy grin. "We're never called on unless someone somehow makes if out the tower. It's going to be new to keep someone from entering, Cal."<p>

Siegrain continued to watch from the tower's roof, now standing at the ledge behind Skye. He watched the scene on the ground with a smile on his face. As he looked on, Rizu appeared, walking up behind him after entering from the stairs. He cleared his throat. "Hm?" Siegrain turned to see the head warden now in front of him. He then turned back around to enjoy his view. "Rizu, just I time. Come see this beautiful sight."  
>The head warden walked over, now standing beside the bluenette as he looked down. "Trace and Cal huh? Nice little plan, using the capture team as a blockade against the other mages."<br>"Not really a plan, more like a...an act, for my amusement."  
>Rizu raised a brow at Siegrain's words. He then shrugged. "Anyways.." He pointed behind him as a few guards brought up a throne like chair, and sat it across from Skye herself, right next to what seemed to be the control switch. "Your chair is here. Also, Dragneel is on the second floor and Redfox is in the basement. Just a heads up. I'll be heading back to the top floor, just in case someone is able to slip through." Rizu then turns on his heel, walking away from Siegrain as he headed for the stairs. The council leader continues to watch the action on the ground for a bit, then finally turns and walks to the chair. As he sits, he crosses one leg over the other, staring at Skye who scowled back at him. A grin slowly appeared on his face as he entangled his fingers between one another. "One hour, Skye. You're not nervous are you?"<br>Skye refused to answer him. Instead she glared towards Siegrain, her eyes telling him exactly how she felt. "You look nervous." He said condescendingly. "I wonder now much people would pay for your magic? You put on a great show a while back against Erza in the Grand Magic Games. I'm sure if we showed those highlights, we could sell your lacrima for a higher price than it's actually worth."  
>Skye lowered her head, her messy hair covering her face as she leaned over. "You're sick.."<br>"Sick? Oh no I'm not sick you misguided cretin." He then shifted to the edge of his seat, leaning forwards as well in attempt to catch her line of sight. "You annoying guild mages brought this on yourself. You brought Zeref alive. You nearly killed this entire country. The world was about to change for the worst because of you all-"  
>"THATS NOT TRUE!"<br>"BUT IT IS!" Siegrain rose from his seat, but as soon as he stood, he took in a deep breath, and sat back down, grinning as if he was never upset just then. "And now, you'll all pay the price for it. So hold on for another...fifty five minutes. Your final hour is approaching."

.

"Dazzling Blaze! Of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu through a giant orb of flames into a crowd of guards, causing them to crash into opposite walls and clearing a path for the three to run through. "Levy! Wendy! Are you here!" All Natsu could hear was the random excessive talk of the prisoners from each cell he passed. Random "You won't make it out of here"s rung through the halls everywhere except the ears of the dragon slayer. As they ran, Lucy, Natsu and Happy pass a staircase. "Natsu!" Happy yelled.  
>"We'll come back go it Happy!" Natsu replied as he looked back towards his partner. "We have to make sure that they're not on this floor!" "Aye sir!" Happy yelled as they continued to run through the hallway. Suddenly, the hallways became empty. No cells or anything. They ignored it as they kept running, but as they did, the hallway turns completely white, almost too bright for the mages to have their eyes focused. "What is this!?" Lucy asked as they came to a stop. All three of them look around the now extremely white hallway, unable to tell which way was which once they lost the way they were headed. "Everything is completely white.." Lucy commented once again, still looking around. "There aren't any doors or anything."<br>"Natsu look!" Happy pointed ahead, now pointing at the white and black haired males that Valry summoned earlier. They seemingly arose from the ground, both bowing to the three in front of them. The black haired male then began to speak. "Hello! I'm Black! And this is White! We are the lieutenant wardens of this floor!"  
>The white haired male then began to speak. "And I'm afraid, this is as far as you go! So thanks for playing, but it's time to pay for your crimes for breaking into the council stronghold." "Get out of the way!" Natsu yelled. He enflamed both his fists as he stood across from the two lieutenants "I'll burn you both into ashes for getting in the way!"<p>

.  
>Gajeel and Dól square off, neither one making a move for an entire minute. Finally, Dól slides his foot forward, then crosses his arms over his excessively tattooed body. He grinned, and a magic seal appeared on his right shoulder blade, causing a tattoo from that spot to move. Seconds later, the tattoo slides off his body and appears beside him. The tattoo then expands and comes go life, appearing as a giant steel hammer. Dól grabbed the hammer and lifted it over his shoulders effortlessly. "What's that? Picture magic or something?" Gajeel looked on in confusion. "He's like Reedus, except with tattoos." Lily said, commenting on his observations. The purple haired mage then flipped his left hand over, another magic seal spinning over his palm. The tattoo in his palm slid off of his skin, then attached itself to the hammer, appearing as a lightning bolt. As it came alive, the hammer now sparked wildly as Dól stared the dragon slayer down. Without hesitation, he swung the hammer down to the floor, causing electrical currents to rush towards Redfox. Gajeel quickly jumped out the way, but as soon as he did, Dól appeared in the air beside him. "Fast!" Was Gajeel's only words as Dól slammed a horizontal swing against Gajeel's ribs, causing a shock to the Iron Dragon Slayer. The impact sent him crashing into the ground as well.<br>"Gajeel!" Lily expanded back into his fighting size and rushed towards the lieutenant. As he did, another magic seal appeared at the top of his spine, and another tattoo began sliding all the way down his back and off the heel of his foot. Before Pantherlily knew it, he was being constricted by a giant snake. "Lily!" Charla yelled out, yet she knew she was unable to help either the slayer nor the exceed. Dól placed the hammer back on his shoulders as he shook his head at the Black Steel. "That's a shame. I expected more. I guess I'll end this quickly."  
>"Gi...heh." Gajeel made his way to his feet once more. "If you think it's that easy to beat me... Then that feeble mind of yours will he your downfall."<p>

.  
>"Move it!" Reve literally rammed through a crowd of guards shoulder first as he ran through the first floor of the stronghold. Behind him, everyone followed. Not by choice, but from the fact that Reve was recklessly running full speed to get to the roof. As he ran, more guards meet him halfway, taking up the entire hallway. Reve didn't stop running however, and while he kept pace, he requipped two assault rifle styled celestial guns into his hands. The guards stayed readied, pointing their weapons towards the gunslinger. Reve quickly scaled the wall, up to the ceiling. Running off of pure adrenaline, he jumped off the ceiling, and in one slowed motion, magic seals used as targets popped up all around the crowd of guards as the gawked at the flipping mage. "...Bang." Reve unloaded, firing a seemingly endless wave of beams of magic that tore through the guards that no longer stood in his way. Without a body count, Reve landed and quickly took off again, running up the stairs to the second floor. "Tch. He's too reckless!" Evanee exclaimed as she slammed a hard uppercut to the gut of one of the remaining guards in her way.<br>"I have to agree." Taya added. Usually Reve was the most accurate mage alive, but he was in such a rush that more than half the guards survived. "No time to observe his mistakes." Laxus stated as he fired off a bolt of lightning towards the guards, shocking them and causing them to scatter against their will. Kairi and Takeru were the next two up the stairs. Rylo hit the breaks and tugged on Evanee's arm. "What?" The ace turned to the magician pointing to the stairs leading down to another floor. "Lets try there instead." Rylo says as he and Evanee begin running down them. "I'm going too!" Nami yelled as she slid down the rail to catch up.  
>"Nami!"<br>"I'll be fine Taya! Follow Reve!" Nami yelled back before actually being scolded by her sister. Taya shook her head and began running up the stairs with the rest of them.  
>Reve was already half way through the second floor thanks to the work of Natsu and Lucy. He didn't pay any attention however as he kept running, now holding a single pistol in his hand. He picked off any soldier in the way as he made his way to the stairs that Natsu and the others skipped. He only had one objective on his mind, and his plan was to keep going up until he made it to the roof. The other members weren't far behind...at first. But as they ran towards the stairs, they were quickly cut off by another swarm of guards. "The numbers don't stop!" Gray whined as he readies himself for an ice make technique. Juvia stood next to him, ready to strike as well. The rest of them stood in a line, and altogether they rushed the incoming wave of guards, meeting them halfway for another brawl.<br>On the top floor, Rizu watched a monitor, noticing the gunslinger sprint down the third floor hallway. "Heh, wrong way gunslinger." The blue haired warden grinned. Behind him, Correll, and Odin stood with their arms folded. "Well, I guess nows a good time to join the fun on the second floor. It's getting crowded there." Correll smirked as he turned on his heels and began walking out of the room. Rizu looked up towards Odin. "Aren't you going to join the fun as well?" He asked. Odin shook his head. "Not until my higher up gives me the order. Siegrain is my jurisdiction."  
>Rizu shook his head mockingly he turned back to the monitor. He then pressed a button. "Bull, you and your lieutenants have company. He'll be around in about five minutes."<br>They heard the message loud and clear. In the shadows, four figures were seen. One of them were sitting down, the other three standing. "They always go the wrong way." One of the standing figures said, ending his statement with a horrendously goofy laugh. Though his physical features couldn't be seen, it appeared as if he was levitating three orbs. "That's fine with me." Another one spoke, the tone proving her to be a female. She lifted her arms in the air, and bent her entire body backwards; so far that when she finished, her torso was between her legs. The third one didn't say a word. Instead he held his arms out as if he was holding a gun. He jerked back as if he pulled the trigger, yet...when he did, an actual "bang" was heard, causing everyone but the figure sitting to flinch. He then acted as if a noose was around his neck, and as he lifted his arm up from his neck to show the charade, he actually began to float and gag as if he was being hung. The man sitting gave a single chuckle as he stayed seated, looking ahead the whole time as Reve's footsteps became louder. "My lieutenants are ready. The Entertainment Trio never fails.

I won't even have to lift a finger."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Panic at the Stronghold! An Assassins final hour.

"Fire Make: Spears!"  
>"Gravity Gods Bellow!"<br>"Wind Blades!"  
>The three attacks from Aira, Kuro, and Cygnus slam into their opposing wave of council guards in front of them, causing some to scatter while most took the attack painfully. The three mages stood back to back as more guards continued to swarm around them. Just off to the right, was the rest of their guild. Jaxon strained the muscles in his right hand, creating a large tornado that quickly went upon a rampage, violently picking any guard in the way off his or her feet and spitting them out. The force of the spinning winds would send anyone caught inside flying off in different directions at an insane speed. Jack began swaying back and forth in a drunken manner. He kept a smirk on his face as he easily maneuvered away from the guards attempt to subdue him. His evasiveness was more than frustrating as the guards would quickly let their guard down long enough for Jack to take clean punches and kicks to their persons. "Not even using magic. What kind of stronghold is this?" Jack Royal asked with a grin. He hiccuped once, and then he turned to notice someone staring him down from the stronghold back entrance. "You look worthy." The council red head Trace called out, grinning at the drunk. Jack returned the grin, and lifted his hands up to his shoulder, feigning an exposure. "I really ain't shit in my opinion. You guys are just much worse." The grin on his face really showed the downplay on his own ability, but though Trace stayed grinning as well, he wasn't fooled. "Well then, I'll show you how much of a shit you really are." Trace then began walking towards the drunken earth Jack Royal. As he neared him, a magic seal appeared before the dark red head. He stepped through it and as he did, three more copies of him appeared beside him. A bit surprised at first, Jack smirks again as he sways to himself, back and forth. Suddenly, Royal was surrounded. All four Traces slid into a fighting stance as they stalked the White Eclipse mage. Jack watched carefully as all five of them stood still for the seconds before the fight, the only thing moving was Jack's swaying and his shifting eyes. Finally, all four Traces take off simultaneously. The one to the right threw a high right hook that Royal sways away from. He then hops over the left Trace's leg sweep, but now has to hold his arms in an X to block the incoming high kick that the northern Trace threw towards his sternum. Jack goes sliding back, right into the last of the red head's arms. Trace locks his hands around Jack's waist and lifts him, slamming him over his head and backwards. The four clones of the clone mage quickly line back up in their stance as they wait for Jack to respond. Suddenly, the earth itself begins to shake. A brown aura begins to shine around Jack Royal as he pushes himself out of the ground and back to a stance. "A grappler huh? Doesn't help that you're a clone mage. That's fine." Jack sneered a bit and then stomped the ground, causing the earth around him to break apart into well sized pieces, now floating around him. "I hate being a serious drunk, but you've pushed it out of me."<p>

On the opposite side of the stronghold's backyard, Twilight Zone and Fairy Tail mages stood in front of the broken Blue Pegasus ship, holding off any and every guard as Blue Pegasus themselves began repairing the ship. Taranis began running a current of lightning all around his body. It was too late for the charging guards to stop their momentum as the slid right into the demon slayer. Taranis began slugging uppercuts and hooks into the guards left and right, not only inflicting pain from the impact, but heavily shocking them as well. As Taranis continued to clear his area out, Flynn and Melanie began there's. As the swarm of guards charged them, Flynn snapped his fingers, creating his patented magic seal that caused anyone inside to drastically decrease their speed. The council soldiers all carried dumbfounded expressions upon their face, but before they could realize what happened, Melanie began inhaling the air around her. "Roar of the Water Dragon!" The petite blond fired a heavy funnel of water dragon magic towards the turtle paced council guards, slamming her attack into the lot of them.  
>A bit more to the right, Fairy Tail was in action as Evergreen lifts her glasses with a grin. Her eyes then let off yellow circular waves. As the incoming guards rush towards her, once they have clear view of her eyes they immediately turn to stone, now standing frozen in their stone shells like statues. Elfman then leaped foward, changing into his Beast Soul takeover in the process. He landed in the middle of a swarm of guards in his takeover, gave out a giant roar, and began slamming his fists into anyone close by, clearing out the lot of guards. Bickslow stood laughing, arms and tongue hanging out, showing off his Fairy Tail insignia. As he did so, his "babies" appeared floating around him, and then fired off their beams into the group of soldiers around him. The rest of Fairy Tail and Twilight Zone continue to what seems like dominate the council guards as well, all while Ceaser and Mirajane stood in the middle. Ceaser was already in his Horus takeover, as Mirajane stood in her Satan soul, both waiting for the guards to attack them. No one dared stepped to them. The council guards stepped away from the two mages, some even trembling as the low glares and high magic auras of the two mages filled the area. "Move out the way you cowards." From the back of the cowering crowd of council soldiers, Cal, the second half of the Capture team of the Council Stronghold, made his way to the front. The brunette stood in front of Ceaser and Mirajane. As he stood across from the two, a bright golden light began to form around his hands. "Sir Cal...!" A random guard called out. "I said out of the way!" He called back. "Go handle the other mages with your fellow soldiers." Cal now stood across from the two takeover mages, grinning. Ceaser took a step forwards, holding his sword on his shoulder. He stood just a foot away from the Capture Team guard with an intense stare. Ceaser would then raise his sword, and swing the heavy blade downward, aiming for Cal's head with no remorse. As he did so, Cal raised a hand over his head, and somehow caught the sword with his left golden glowing hand. The impact caused a shockwave around them, yet the councilman was unaffected by neither the blade nor the strength behind it. With his hand on the blade, a small magic seal began to form in his hands. Soon after, the blade began to turn solid gold, becoming heavier and heavier in the process as Cal let his grip go. Ceaser was now struggling, and eventually dropped the too heavy sword. He looked back at Cal in confusion. "Midas mage." Cal said with a grin. "Whenever my hands are activated, I can turn anything into gold temporarily. You should give up now."<br>"Or we'll just keep our distance!" Mirajane took a step back, cupping her hands as she began charging her. "Soul Extinction!" She yelled as she threw her hands forward, firing off a beam of dark magic, the beam hurling straight for Cal. The councilman grinned and lifted his right hand, a magic seal forming at the palm. He then fired off golden beam of his own. The two beams colliding, the force between the two causing an explosion and a tremor around them. Mirajane waited for the smoke the clear, but Cal didn't as he rushed through the blinding smoke, and grabbed the demon by her right arm. Immediately, her arm began turning to solid gold. She struggled but couldn't free herself from his grip. Finally, with a kick to his chest, Mirajane was able to pull herself away from Cal's grip, now sliding away a bit until she quickly came to a stop. Mirajane tried to stand up straight but now, her gold covered forearm plagued her from doing so. As she slowly picked herself up to fight the weight of her arm, Cal began to laugh. "Uh oh! Heavy right? Don't worry, you'll all be in prison cells soon. I'm sure the Midas Touch will wear off by then."

.

"About forty five minutes left...! Hang on Skye!" Reve continued running down the hallway, unknowingly heading in the wrong direction. Yet, he continued his sprint despite being short of breath. He ran down the lengthy hallway until he noticed a shadowy dead end. He kept running however, just to make sure there wasn't a door or anything to run through. Near the end of the dead end hallway, he stopped running, now noticing four figures in front of him. He began scanning as the three standing walked out of the darkness. "Well well, congratulations on making it this far." The female, who was continuously stretching, had black hair and blue eyes. She stood barefoot as she wore a purple full body suit that held the council insignia on it's back and shoulders. "But this is where your run ends, pal." With his obnoxiously goofy laugh, the male with the three levitating spheres stepped out of the shadows. He wore a council hat with bright red hair sticking out from the sides. He wore a near bright yellow council outfit with red buttons and shoes. His green eyes darted towards Reve as the third figure stepped out as well. He stood in a black and white council outfit and hat. His skin was completely pale, nearly white. Without saying a word, he ran his thumb across his neck like a knife, signifying the end to the gunslinger. The red head began to speak again. "I'm Sully, that's Vivy and this is Wallace; and we are.." The three of them would then strike a pose next to each other. "The entertainment trio!" Sully, the red head then began speaking again with a cocky grin. "We're the assistant wardens on this floor. A floor that no ones ever gotten past. And you're not going to be any diff-DID HE JUST LEAVE!?"  
>Wallace began nodding his head vigorously to answer Sully's question as Vivy face palmed. "You were overdoing it again with the speech, Sully!" She groaned. "Well?" The shadowy figure behind them says in a deep, threatening tone. "Why aren't you after him?"<br>Sully and the others quickly saluted. "Y-yes sir! We're on it!" The red head replied. The three assistant wardens then quickly run off to catch up to Reve.  
>"That was a dead end, so I guess the stairs are this way!" Reve says to himself as he continues running. He was back into a full sprint, lowering his head to run as fast as he could to make up for lost time. A few strides later, he found himself on the ground. He sat up, rubbing his head in pain. "What did I..?" Reve stood up, and took a step forward, leading with his hand. His hand pressed against what seemed to be an invisible wall. "This wasn't here earlier?" He questioned. He continued to feel around the wall, looking for an opening. "It's no use." Reve turned around to the familiar voice. "Hm?" Reve turned back around to see the trio behind him. "And don't you ever run away while I'm talking again!" Sully yelled. "I don't have time for this!" Reve barked back. He then turned back to the invisible wall, requipping a shotgun styled celestial gun into his hands. He then took aim at the wall, charging his shot but before he could fire, Wallace began doing a charade of him twirling a rope. He then flung the invisible rope towards Reve, lassoing it around his shotgun. Wallace then yanked the gun out of Reve's hand, causing it to vanish. Reve turned around in confusion. "How did he..?"<br>Sully and Vivy began laughing; Wallace too, but his laughter was mute even though he showed the exaggerated action. "It's a secret." Vivy said, smirking. "Our magic is one of a kind."  
>"It's not that special." Reve fired back. He took track of the time in his head. "Thirty five minutes. I guess ill have to finish you three off quickly."<p>

.

Gajeel's grin widened as he stood across from Dól. He clenched both of his fists as he begins to glow a green aura for a few seconds. Seconds later, he now dawned his iron scales all over his body. "Gihihihi! Now lets try for round two!" The dragon slayer says as he stands tall against the purple headed assistant warden. Dól stood unimpressed. He shook his head as another magic seal appeared on his body, on his ribs. "They never learn." Was his only words as a plate of armor wrapped around his torso. It was silver, and as skin tight as armor could be. Gajeel and Dól rushed towards each other, the Iron Dragon' fist meeting head on with the electric hammer. By strength the two collided into a stalemate. However, the electric sparks from the hammer began to fly off and charge into Gajeel repeatedly, shocking the mage each time. Eventually, Gajeel would succumb to the electricity and opt out of the stalemate. He swayed his body to the side, allowing Dól's own momentum to carry him forward. Gajeel would then swing a hard iron covered right fist towards the assistant warden's jaw. Dól would quickly turn and raise his hammer to block the incoming attack. Once again, lightning began flying each way, sparking into Gajeel as his fist connected with the hammer. "Tch! Dammit!" Gajeel reared his head back in frustration, and then threw it forward, only to have the head butt stopped from the hammer just like his other attacks. The electric shock sent the Dragon Slayer slamming into the wall, right beside an empty prison cell. Dól then gave a small smirk. "Looks like my aim is off. You should be trapped in a cell right now." Dól began laughing, only to have it halted by a hard punch to his jaw. He was sent tumbling off to the side, quickly hopping back up as he slid to a stop. He growled as PantherLily stood in a boxer's stance, glaring at the purple headed assistant warden. "How did you escape my serpent?" He sneered, rubbing his jaw.  
>"He had help." Dól looked up with widened eyes. He didn't even notice nor hear the elevator come back down as he now had his eyes set on Nami, Rylo and the Twilight Zone ace, Evanee. Rylo then spoke once more as he turned to Gajeel. "Warden?"<br>Gajeel shook his head. "Assistant."  
>"In that case." Evanee interjected as she gave Rylo a tug of the sleeve. "Me and Rylo will go on ahead. Nami, you and Gajeel finish this guy off."<br>Nami just gave a blank expression and nodded. "Hold on, who said you were getting by so easily!?" Dól asked, actually annoyed at Evanee's disrespect towards him. With his hammer in hand, he swung it down towards Evanee, but she caught it with her right palm. With the lightning sparking around her, Evanee didn't any sign of wincing whatsoever. "Okay, I tried to give you a chance to fight." Evanee nodded once. And then went for a leg sweep, knocking Dól off his face and onto his back. She then raised her right leg and slammed it into Dól's sternum forcefully, easily shattering the armor around his torso. She then stepped on and then over him as she continued walking. "Come on Rylo, lets free whoever's down here." Rylo nodded. "Right.." He than ran to catch up with the ace as Gajeel gawked on in a mixture of admiration and fear. "She did that so easily..." By the time he came to his senses, Rylo and Evanee have already turned the corner, leaving him with just Nami. "Hey, you ready?" The light mage Nami asked him. "...Yeah." Gajeel replied. The two mages and exceeds then begin jogging forward. Before they could pass Dól whoever, his eyes snapped open. The assistant warden grabbed them both by the ankles, and magic seals formed from both of his hands. Before Nami and Gajeel could react, their ankles were cuffed together. "What's this!?" Gajeel yelled. Dól made his way to his feet as Nami and Gajeel desperately try to pull the cuffs of their ankle. "Heh...now you have no magic and you're cuffed together." He began laughing, only to stop once he noticed Lily in his. Peripheral. Lily threw a punch, but Dól ducked it, and slammed a powerful uppercut to his abdomen, causing the exceed to hunch over as Charla watched in horror. "We don't have a choice." Nami looked up at Gajeel as he spoke. "We're gonna have to fight him with no magic."  
>"Yeah that's next to impossible!" Nami replied. "Hey! Lily! Use you sword to break this!"<br>Lily slowly made his way to his feet, still holding his stomach from the blow. The only thing that separated him from his partner and Nami was Dól. Lily pulled out his sword, causing it to expand. "Like I'll let you reach them." Dól says as one his tattoos begin moving again. It forms into his right hand; a giant iron sphere connected to a long chain. Another tattoo from his neck begins to move. A fire tattoo makes it's way to the iron ball, now setting it on fire. Dól began swinging it around as he grinned towards Lily with a glare. "Well!? Come on then! Free your friends!"

Evanee and Rylo ran ahead. They had already turned the corner and sprinted down the hallway before Gajeel and Nami were caught by Dól. They turned the corner once more, only to be met by incoming guards. Evanee let out a frustrating groan. "No time for this. Stand back." Rylo nodded and had no time complying to the nymph mages demands. "Do your thing, Evanee-Senpai." Rylo said as he bowed sarcastically. "Tch." Evanee then side eyed the magician, quickly turning her attention back to the incoming guards. "Darkness Cage." Evanee creates and then crushes a darkness sphere in her hand, summoning several small masses of Darkness Magic which then grow and come together to create a sphere around the swarm of guards. They were now restrained as they all yelled out cries of pain simultaneously, eventually passing out from the immense pain. Evanee then dispelled the magic and walked ahead.  
>"Ah darkness magic." Rylo says with a smirk. "How it hasn't consumed her yet I'll never know."<br>"Shut up." Evanee says as she turns her head back to the magician. She continued walking as she glared at Rylo, and the distraction was enough. The second she turned around, a long chain was wrapped around her neck. "Evanee!" Rylo called out as she was whipped toward the culprit, the six and a half foot basement floor warden, Drail. He swung Evanee around, and then slammed her into the wall, creating a small crater against the wall as smoke and debris fly from the point of impact. Evanee was now on the floor, on her knees coughing as she tugged on the chain. The red bearded warden then conjured a magic seal. "I don't know how you got past my disciple, but it doesn't matter. I'll end it here." The magic seal he summoned created ice that traveled down the chain until it came into contact with Evanee herself. She quickly stood to charge at Drail, but the ice slowed her down tremendously, until she was frozen still. "Dammit!" Rylo quickly ran forward, and aimed a high towards Drail. It was to no avail as the warden whipped out another chain and quickly wrapped it around the magician's leading leg. He then whipped him into wall right next to the cell that Zalen and the others were imprisoned. "Huh? Zalen puts his face to the transparent cell wall, noticing Rylo and Evanee as Clover and Heather joined him. "Who are they?" Clover asked. "No idea." Zalen replied. "And it looks like it's not going to matter either..."  
>With her magic aura fluctuating, Evanee finally shattered the ice that restricted her. She then grabbed the chain, and pulled Drail towards her. He jerked forward, but then quickly caught himself. "My my. Such strength for a girl." Drail pulled the chain again, lifting Evanee off her feet and into the ceiling, then the floor. Drail then whipped Rylo's chain, but was thrown off guard as he realized that he had broken loose. He looks around for the slight of hand mage. "Up here!" He yelled. Drail looked up to see the magician point his top hat towards him. A magic seal appeared, and then a funnel of fire hurls towards the warden in a spiral. Drail lifts his loose chain above his head and spins it, easily deflecting Rylo's fire away. He then fires his chain towards the ceiling, leaving a small hole as Rylo quickly leaps away to evade. "This..stupid..chain!" Evanee rose to her feet again, growling as she finally began to make some leeway on the chain around her neck. Drail still managed to smirk however. "It's been a while since I've had some fun." He then yanked Evanee's chain, pulling it off of her neck. He swung the two chains by his side as he looked at them both. "I'll toy with you both for a bit longer."<p>

.

"Look, there's stairs just beyond these guards!" Erza yells as she leads the group forward. "There's also another hallway we haven't been through yet!" Laxus adds.  
>"We'll split up once we get there!" Gray adds as he comes to a sliding stop. "Ice make: Floor!" He slammed his palms into the ground, creating an icy floor that caused the guards to slide uncontrollably. "I got it." Taya states as she conjures up five of her dark vectors. The vectors rush towards and into the skating guards, slamming them each and every way, some into the walls while the others the ceiling and floor. The group continues to run full speed as they near the stairs. "I'm taking the stairs!" Takeru yelled out. "Might as well make it White Eclipse then!" Taya replied as she followed Takeru. "Right! Fairy Tail, this way!" Erza yelled as she ran past the stairwell with Laxus, Gray and Juvia right behind them.<p>

Takeru grabs the rail and begins running up the stairs, but it was only halfway he climbed before a giant fist came crashing into his sternum, pushing him back into the ascending Taya and Kairi. The three mages crash back down into the second floor, sitting down from the blow. They all make their way back up to their feet, groaning in pain as Correll slowly makes his way down the last few steps. "Sorry, too many people on the stairs at once." He grinned, and ran his hand through his blonde hair. He then looked over towards Kairi, who angrily glared back towards him while dusting herself off. "Oh, hey there angel. No hard feelings, just doing my job."  
>"We can all three take him easily." Tak stated as he fixed himself. "No." Tak looked back towards Kairi, who kept her glare on the third council captain. "You two go and help Reve. I'm sure the idiot's in trouble. I'll take him on. I'll catch up shortly."<br>Correll began laughing. "You know what? Sure, go ahead. You two can go, because you'll all be captured sooner or later."  
>"Be careful Kairi.." Taya nodded as her and Takeru slide by Correll, and sprint up the stairs. Correll and Kairi continue their standoff. The blonde haired captain smirking while Kairi glared with hatred. "You're in the way." The takeover mage stated. "Yeah no shit." Correll replied as he slid his council jacket off. "Now I must warn you, I'm nothing like what you remember half a year ago. So I apologize for any injuries you'll soon sustain."<br>"Shut up." Kairi's reply was short and sour as her hair begins to waver. In mere seconds a magic seal appears under her as her transformation takes place. She now stood in her angel takeover: Angel Soul: Uriel. Kairi now stood in a fitted, gold romper suit. Her hair was released from its usual pony and grows past her back, becoming much wavier. Her bangs also increased in length and circled around the top of her head, creating a halo-like head band. The boots she wore were ankle-length and white. large, feathered wings from her back. "It never gets old, seeing such a lovely sight." Correll grinned as he held his fist up in his patented boxer stance. "Now then, lets go!"

Erza, Laxus, Gray, And Juvia continued running down the hallway. The closer they got, the louder his voice was. "No way." Gray says he runs beside Juvia. "Some things never change." Laxus added as he shook his head. Erza merely smiles. "Natsu-San is up ahead? That must mean Lucy is with him!" Juvia added.  
>With a loud yell, Natsu crashed his fist into the ground, just missing White who somehow disappeared into the completely white room. "Darnit! I just had him!" The Salamander sneers as he looks around, searching for the two assistant wardens. Lucy held a key in her hand, waiting for the right moment to summon her spirit. "They're hiding, but how is the black one able to in this white room?" As she asked her question to herself, Black appeared behind her l, and Lucy turned right into a bunch of knuckle shaped shadows, landing against her ribs and sending her off her feet. "Lucy!" Natsu began running towards the visible Black, only to have a blinding white light corrupt his vision temporarily. He covered his eyes in pain, and right beside him, White appeared. White then slammed a hard high kick to Natsu's jaw, causing him to lift into the air and then crash into the ground, rolling away. Natsu quickly hopped up, but his vision was only slowly coming back to him. "You're useless against us when White's magic is in effect!"<br>"Oh Black, you're too kind." The two assistant wardens stood next to each other, chuckling as they watched Natsu rub his eyes free of the blurry vision, along with Lucy finally making her way back to her feet. They were about to begin attacking again, but as White ran forward, out of nowhere, Erza cuts him off with a horizontal slash of her sword. The blade leaves a gash right across White's chest, causing him to grip his sternum as he falls to a knee. "White!" Black yelled. Due to the heavy damage he took, the room White created began to phase in and out, showing the exit in the process. "Natsu!" Erza called to him. Natsu looked up, just making out the scarlet haired mage and the others that have just arrived. Erza points her sword to the exit. "You and Lucy go ahead. We'll wrap things up here!"  
>Lucy grabs Natsu by the arm and pulls her towards the exit, quickly leaving. Snarling in anger, Black and White turn back to the four mages that stood in their way. "No matter! You'll all go down eventually!" White yelled as the palm holding his chest began to glow white. Slowly, his wound began to close. "He's healing himself." Gray pointed out. Black stepped in front of White, and began to slowly lift his hands upward. Now, instead of the pure white room, it's was now pitch black. "You thought your numbers were going to get the best of us." Black stated. "But you can't hit, what you cannot see!" White finished. They both then yelled in unison. "You'll never escape the stronghold!"<p>

"Levy! Wendy!" Natsu yelled as he, Happy and Lucy continued down the hallway, now free from guards and the assistants. They sprinted down as now Lucy began calling for them. "Wendy! Levy!"  
>"Natsu!" Levy's voice rung through the empty halls. "Levy!" Natsu ran ahead, turning the last corner to the prison cells. "Natsu wait!" Lucy yelled for The Salamander, but it was too late, his mind was made up as she tried her best to catch up.<br>Ahead, Natsu ran down the last hallway, until he saw a figure standing at the end, and Levy and Wendy inside their cells. "Natsu! Be careful!" Wendy yelled, but Natsu was coming in too fast. "Release my friends!" The dragon slayer yelled as he reared back a fiery right fist. Valry stood with a smirk on her face, and as Natsu swung, she simply swayed out the way. As Natsu went flying by, Valry wrapped her whip around his neck, and slung him into the ground. She then pulled him along the ground violently, and then flung him...right into the same prison cell Levy and Wendy were placed in.  
>"..." Cobra blinked, and then slapped a palm against his own face. "How anticlimactic! I was expecting a fight!"<br>"What did I tell you Erik!?" Valry exclaimed as she laughed. "This is my domain."  
>"What did I tell you about that name!?" Cobra barked back. In the cell, Natsu sat up, rubbing his head. "Huh? Levy...Wendy.."<br>"It's okay Natsu!" Wendy says as she helps him up. "Good try!" As Natsu stood up, a body towered over him. He turned around to see Zero standing right behind him. He grinned. "Remember me? We should see how you are without that Dragon Slaying magic of yours."  
>Natsu stood firm, chest to chest with Zero as the "Brain" of Oracion Seis grinned wickedly.<br>Back outside, Lucy came around the corner with Happy. "Natsu!" Happy yelled out. "Happy!" Natsu called back, now banging on the cell wall. "Natsu how did you get captured already!?"  
>"Don't ask that just get me out!"<br>"But we were right behind you! How did you lose so fast!"  
>"I tripped!"<br>"That's a lie Natsu!"  
>"Shut up!" Cobra yelled. "Your yelling is annoying! Look, girl! There's a switch behind the warden! You're our...your friends only hope of getting out! Press that button!"<br>"Ha! Like she'll ever get past me to do so!" Valry adds as she whips the ground once.  
>"A whip huh?" Lucy pulls out her own whip that Virgo gave her a long time ago. It flowed to the ground as she stood off with Valry. "This isn't good. I have to free Levy and Wendy, but if I do that, Oracion Seis will be released too. What do I do? It doesn't even matter if I beat her...I'll still have to do it." Lucy wrestled with her thoughts, almost long enough for Valry to get a clean hit before she just barely dove out the way. "This is going to be too easy! Come on blondie! See if you can get past me!"<p>

.

"Twenty five minutes and counting Skye. Twenty five." Siegrain grinned as he leaned towards Skye. "Anything you wanna say? You're running out of time to speak."  
>Skye kept her head lowered. "Reve... I know he'll be here.."<p>

As Skye's thoughts ran through her mind, the gunslinger was busy fighting off the entertainment trio. He took aim with the now two celestial pistols in his hand, and fired towards the three as they steadily evaded. Sully came to a sliding stop, and as he extended his arm, he fired off when of his levitating spheres. The sphere hurled towards Reve, turning into ice in the process. Reve rolled out the way and as the ice sphere hit the floor, it created a small radius of ice, yet the sphere itself reappeared hovering over Sully once again. Reve took aim again, but before he could fire, Vivy appeared behind him and with a magic seal that she reached through, her arm expanding in a rubbery style, wrapping around his feet. She then lifted Reve and swung him around, finally letting go as Reve was hurled a bit down the hallway until he crashed into the ground. "Ugh..I don't have time for this!" Reve punched the ground, leaving a crack in it as he stood back up. His two pistols vanished as he requipped his patented magnum into his hands. "Get, out of the way!" Reve then fired the massive blast towards the entertainment trio. Unconcerned, Wallace stepped toward the incoming blast, and turned to his comrades. He acted out a charade, as if he was looking in a mirror. With less than a second to spare, he then stepped around the now invisible mirror with the other two. The magnum blast slammed into what seemed like nothing, and quickly hurled back towards Reve. Completely off guard, Reve froze with wide eyes. His own blast then slammed into his sternum, lifting him off his feet and onto the ground, spine first as he now floated in and out of consciousness. Sully then began laughing his patented goofy laugh. "That was a powerful blast there! Too bad it wasn't good enough against Wallace!"  
>"And that's what happens when you mess with the Entertainment Trio!" Vivy says with a laugh of her own. Wally feigns a frown as Sully pats him on the back. "I know Wallace, he didn't put up much of a fight. I'm a little upset to. Come on, lets throw him in a cell."<br>The three councilmen began walking towards the gunslinger. Reve laid there with a blurry sight as they towered over him.

"Skye...

I'm coming..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Miracle in the Room of Echoes! The Pride of an Ace!

{Flashback.}  
>"You're not leaving again are you?"<br>Reve was sitting on the couch in the main room of the White Eclipse guild. It was a few days after the apocalypse, and he's yet to really speak to anyone after returning. "Huh?" He looked up to see Skye standing over him with the utmost concern. Reve sighed, and then averted his eyes back to the scene that was the banter going on between the other mages in the guild. Before he could reply, Skye spoke again. "Nii-San..."  
>"I don't know yet, Skye." Reve answered. "Even after all the training I went through, I was barely any help at all against Zeref and Acnologia."<br>"But you defeated one of the generals!" Skye interrupted. She hopped over the couch, facing the gunslinger now to make sure she had his attention. "Stay here and train if you have to! Just don't leave again.." Reve turned his gaze Skye, who seemed to be on the verge of crying. He then gave her a wave of surrender. "Hey hey...don't do that. I'm not going anywhere." Like a switch, Skye's expression quickly went from a sad to an ecstatic one. She then frowned once more. "Oh, and sorry..."  
>Reve arched a brow. "Sorry? For...?"<br>"I never got to really apologize, for holding you back during the games. I lost against Erza. If I would of won, we would of been champions. So sorry Nik-San."  
>Reve blinked, and then patted Skye on the head with a smile. "It's not a big deal. And besides, you took her to the edge, which showed your potential. And since we'll/ be training here now, we'll draw out that potential of yours." With a joyous expression, Skye hugged Reve, tightly embracing him in happiness. Reve sat there in a bit of shock as she did so. "Thank you, Nii-San!"  
>"Gah..." Reve kept his hands above her, still not used to Skye's sisterly affection. "Why do you call me that..?"<br>{End FlashBack}

"Skye.."  
>"Alright, left him up and slap the cuffs on him." Sully says as Wallace was already in the midst of doing so. Wallace held Reve by the wrist, but before he could grab his cuffs, Reve twisted his own arm to grab the mute's wrist. He then shifted his weight and threw Wallace over his shoulder and into the opposing wall. Sully and Vivy watched their comrade hit the wall, only to turn back to two celestial pistols held against their head. With wide eyes, neither one of them moved. "Like I said..your magic isn't special." Reve stated. He then looked over towards Sully. "Levitation magic with elemental spheres." The gunslinger then turned to Vivy. "Rubber magic. And your mute friend over there know Arc of Embodiment, except you can't see what he makes. Big deal."<br>Sully began to shake due to the barrel of the gun pushing against his head. "E-even so! You won't beat Bull if we let you go!"  
>"Right!" Vivy added. "You won't get past the next floor with or without Bull!"<br>"I don't have much time left, so I don't have time for your bluffs and threats. Say goodnight." Reve started to squeeze the trigger, but before he could, he was somehow taken off his feet. He fell to the ground, and looked up to see Wallace pull an invisible rope. He could feel it wrapped around his waist. He quickly stood, and began pulling back, but the distraction was all that was needed as Vivy stood behind the gunslinger. She placed both thumbs in her mouth and began to blow, expanding both of her hands into oversized palms. She then clapped her hands together, with Reve in the middle. The immense pain from the attack left him teetering. Sully then came around, and with another forward thrust of his palm, he fired another sphere, this one catching fire as it hurled and then slammed into Reve's chest. Clenching his chest, Reve hit the ground once again as the fire extinguished. The Entertainment Trio quickly swarmed around him. "I guess that was all talk!" Sully says as he laughs. "Screw cuffs, I'll stomp you into unconsciousness." Sully then lifted his right foot, but before he could slam the stomp to Reve's temple like he planned, a dark vector wrapped around his foot, holding him still as two more slam into his chest. Sully went tumbling away from Reve and the other two assistants. Wallace and Vivy turn around, right into a Shadow Dragon's roar, a direct hit that sent them both painfully flying away from Reve and on top of Sully as they all groaned in pain. Reve pushed himself up to his feet, now with the aid of Taya herself, yanking him up by his arm. "Idiot. Would you calm down?" She asked in her normal rude tone.  
>"I don't have time to..." Reve replied, holding his burning sternum.<br>"We have..."  
>"Fifteen minutes." Takeru says, interrupting the S class gunslinger.<br>"Okay, we're in a tight spot now.." Taya says sighing. "We all can't just run off, because they'll chase us, but I'm sure there's someone else on the next floor waiting on us once we get past these clowns." Reve took a step towards the way he was previously running. "I don't care about that.. I'm going ahead. Skye needs saving and we don't have time." "He's right you know." Takeru adds. "Reve should go ahead, and we'll clean these three up a lot faster."  
>Taya lets out another aggravated groan. "Fine, see you on the roof cowboy. Try not to die." Reve didn't even nod, he was already down the hallway. Sully and the others made their way to their feet in the process. Sully, holding his right arm, turned the opposite way that Reve ran off to. "Boss! We have a problem! One of them ran off! He's headed to the next floor!"<br>"I thought there was only one!?" A  
>voice from the end of the hall echoed out. After a few seconds, loud footsteps could be heard coming towards them. "This could be a problem." Taya mumbled. Around the corner he came. He stood six feet twl inches. He was a little less than built with grayish black hair and brown eyes. He wore a red council uniform. "Bull..sir. We had him, but these two interrupted us and let him escape!"<br>"Quiet Vivy." Bull replied. Bull continued walking, right past Taya and Tak who cautiously kept an eye on him. "I'll go get him, you three finish up here."  
>"Should we let him go?" Takeru asked Taya. She nodded. "Four on two wouldn't be good. And besides, Reve can handle one guy." Sully and Vivy began laughing at Taya's comment, causing the dark vector mage to raise a brow. "What's so funny?" Taya asked. "That must be the first warden you ran into." Vivy replied. "Bull is way too strong for that guy. He couldn't get past us,<br>And Bull would annihilate us easily. Plus they're headed to the Room of Echoes next? That's an easy win for a sound mage like Bull!"  
>"Sound mage?"<br>As Bull made his way to the stairs, beside the staircase was a rack with pairs of headphones. He picks up a pair, and slides them over his ears. Suddenly, the sounds of the council stronghold no longer existed as he climbed the stairs.  
>Already in the room, Reve began running down the hall. He could only run so far until he became disoriented. At first, his mind was seemingly clear, but then it hit him. He looked around at the design of the room, noticing the walls were shaped differently. Also, strange looking hollow speakers hung from the ceiling. Reve stopped completely, feeling lightheaded. He could hear a strange sound coming from his body. It took him a few seconds, but then he realized, he could hear his blood rushing. The sound was more than clear. Liquid being pushed through a small tunnel. His heartbeat was louder than anything he's ever heard before. He began to pant with widened eyes. He then turned to the right after hearing a loud whisper. "Heh. If it isn't the gunslinger..."<p>

.

Kairi goes sliding backwards, finally coming to a stop from her feet planted firmly into the ground. She charged Correll who stood cockily in his boxer's stance. Kairi began the exchange with a hard right fist that Correll dodged. She then continued with a flurry of fist that Correll simply parried or evaded. Correll would then duck an incoming left hook from the angel takeover, and with his golden glowing fist, he slammed a hard uppercut to the abdomen. Kairi bared her teeth as she grabbed her stomach from the blow. She kept her ground however, and then threw a high left kick to the blonde's head. Correll merely slapped it away, and through what looked like a normal right punch. Before contact, a light blue magic seal appeared, and as the fist ran through the seal, his fist was seemingly frozen as the fist slams into her jaw. Kairi was taken off her feet, tumbling into the ground before popping back up to a low crouch. She held her jaw, realizing that their was ice on it. She merely pulled the ice off as she glared towards the captain. Correll gave a shrug, never losing his cocky demeanor. "I tried to warn you. That's your strongest form right? I'm not even warmed up yet. I don't know what you've been doing since the apocalypse, but we council members were too busy with actual training." Correll's grin widened. He then raised his right fist, and slammed it into the stone floor. The impact caused a magic seal to appear under Kairi, following by a violent upbringing of the floor, creating a miniature mountainous region. The attack slammed Kairi against the ceiling before dispersing. She fell to the floor, back to her knees as she panted. "Fifteen minutes and you can't even get past me. You sure you want Skye to survive, angel?"  
>Kairi's eyes widened, then narrowed again towards the captain. "...I'm going go murder you."<p>

.

Lucy stood off with the second floor warden, Valry. Both of them with their whips in their hands. "Lets go Lucy!" Natsu yelled. "Quiet!" Valry barked towards the dragon slayer, causing her to take her eyes off of Lucy. "Now!" Lucy yelled as she lifted a key into the air. "Virgo!" After the bright light that emitted from the key disappeared, a hole appeared under Valry, causing her to fall to the first floor. Virgo pops out and bows. "Time for punishment, princess?" "Now's your chance!" Cobra yelled. "I have no choice!" Lucy said to herself, she then sprinted towards the switch that was once behind Valry. She ran, then jumped over the hole that Virgo created, or at least attempted to. Halfway through her jump, just over the whole, Valry's whip wrapped around her ankle. Valry then yanked Lucy through the hole in the floor, slamming her into the concrete floor of the first level. "Lucy!" Wendy and Levy called out in unison. No one could see what was going on from their view. No one except Virgo, who peered into the hole to see what was going on. "Do you need help princess?" The celestial spirit asked. Lucy struggled her way to her feet, finally coming back to a stance as she grinned. "Virgo, flip the switch on the wall!" Lucy yelled to the maid. "What!? Oh no you don't!" Valry swung her whip towards the spirit who was making her way to the switch, but Lucy cuts her off by entangling Valry's whip with her's. Lucy grinned as she started pulling the entangled whips towards her. "You're in a world of trouble now!"  
>"No you are!" Valry replied. "You don't know what you're doing!" "Yeah I do! I'm freeing my friends!" As Lucy yelled her response, Virgo flipped the switch, the walls eventually dispersing. Natsu, Levy and Wendy stepped out of the cell. Natsu held an excited grin on his face. "Now I'm gonna kick that girls a-"<br>"Dark Capriccio!" The words, caught Natsu's ears, and he turned...right into the incoming drill off magic. He barely had time to defend himself as he sacrificed his arms to save his heart, placing them in an X formation to cushion the attack. The Dark Capriccio lifted Natsu in the air, crashing him into the ceiling. He then fell to the ground, holding himself in pain. "Natsu!" Levy and Wendy began running towards The Salamander, Racer appeared in a blur with a quick kick to both of their backs, causing them to tumble towards and then on top of Natsu. Cobra, Angel, Midnight and Hoteye slowly walked out of their cells, all of them but Hoteye grinning as Oracion Seis now stood together once again. Natsu, Wendy and Levy stood up, facing the six. Natsu stood in front of the two females, baring his teeth at Zero and the others. "What a fool that girl and her spirits are." Cobra says with his toothy grin.  
>"All for a boy." Angel adds. "It's a shame for her. Now we're free."<br>"And our first act as Oracion Seis.." Zero glared towards the three mages. "Take out the one who put us here!"

It was completely quiet in the pitch black room. Erza and the others stood waiting, focused. They couldn't be seen, but their eyes shifted left to right repeatedly, trying to spot even the slightest hint of Black and White, the second floor Assistant Wardens. What seemed like minutes went by, until finally, a white magic seal appeared above the lot of mages. It then began raining beams of light magic, the only source of light a violent one. "Heads up!" Gray yelled, and all at once, with little time to spare, they all cover their heads; sounds of groaning and grunting in pain could be heard until the light rain finally stopped. "That's it.." Laxus sneered. He then began to surge his own lightning magic around him, causing a small radius of light within the room. "Don't hide you cowards. Fight us!"  
>Black's voice could be heard, laughing. The laughter sounded like an echo within the pitch blackness. Suddenly, a wave of shadows forms over, and consumes Laxus, causing his lightning to stop. "Laxus!" Gray began running towards the last place he saw the Dragon Slayer, only to stop as a white magic seal appeared before him. Out of the circle, four white fists slam into him, lifting him off his feet from the impact. He falls to his back, groaning in pain. As he looked up, another white magic circle hovered over him. "Hey." White says with a smile. Gray desperately covers up as another barrage of beams rain down on Gray Fullbuster from such a close range. "Gray-Sama!" Juvia attempts to run towards Gray and the only light source in the room, but before taking her first step, she felt a tug on her ankle. She looked down, but of course she could see anything. She could feel it though. She felt her magic completely shut down. She reached down to her ankle, and felt the magic sealing cuffs around them. "Two on two now." Black says from an undisclosed location. As Gray continues to take a beating from White, who was standing on his magic seal, out nowhere, Erza flies by, swinging a horizontal swipe of her sword. The blur she ran by in was evidence that she was in her flight armor. She disappeared into the darkness as White stopped his attack on Gray. White fell to a knee, muffling a scream of pain as he tried to reach for a spot on his back. "You'll pay for that!" White yelled as he disappeared once again. "Gray!" Erza yelled as the ice maker rose to his feet. "Keep your guard up! It's just me and you now!"<br>"Right!" Gray stood in his ice make stance, waiting anxiously yet focused. "Come on you cowards.."

.

"Any ideas?" Rylo asked his SS class guild mate. The two mages stood against with Drail as the warden continued to swing his chains. "Just one." Evanee says with a smirk. "Will you do what I say?"  
>"Heh..it sounds like you have something good Evanee. What is it?" Rylo asks as he nods to her request.<br>"...See that elevator behind him? The buttons on it show that it makes it to the top floor. Take it there."  
>"What!?" Rylo turns to Evanee in shock. "I'm not gonna let you take this guy alone!" Evanee kept her grin, not taking her eyes off of Drail. "You said you'd listen, and quite frankly, you should know better than to disobey your ace at times like this by now, Ry."<br>Rylo scowled, narrowing his eyes towards Evanee. "You don't have to do /everything/ alone, Evanee. It's your worst habit."  
>"Just shut up and go!" Evanee stepped back. "We're running out of time, so save your lecture Rylo and follow what I said."<br>Rylo hesitated for a few seconds, and then placed a palm on the ground, creating a magic seal. The seal ran through him, turning him completely invisible. "Huh!?" Drail began looking around frantically, only to hear the elevator coming down. "No you don't!" He turned and reared back his right arm to throw the chain, but Evanee grabs the link before he could throw it forward. "I'm over here. It's me and you." She said with the excited grin on her face. Drail looked back at Evanee, just long enough for when he turned back to the elevator, it was already heading upward. Angered, Drail turned his attention back to Evanee, and attempted to yank his chain with her on it last time. This time however, Evanee stood her ground. A black aura began to swarm around her as she stared at the warden. Drail took a step back confused.  
>"I know she was holding back." Zalen, Heather, and Clover both turn around to the man who was standing against the wall the entire time. He was silent until now. He took a few steps closer to get a better view, coming into the light to reveal himself as Makarov. "Master Makarov." Zalen says, blinking. "I didn't think you were ever gonna speak." Heather added. Makarov merely nodded as he kept his attention on the fight. "Where did this strength come from!?" Drail asked, a panicky tone in his voice. Evanee pulled on the chain in her hand, causing Drail to slide a good bit forward. "He's been working too hard to surpass me." Evanee says as she yanks the chain again, once again causing Drail to slide forward. "I didn't want to embarrass him, by showing him my true strength. We could of beaten you together, but as an ace...I have too much pride to take a beating from someone weaker than me!" Evanee's words caught Drail off guard, and with another yank, Drail was off his feet. Evanee swung the chain around, hoisting Drail in the air in the process. She then let go, slinging the warden against the far wall. With Drail out for a moment, Evanee ran to the opposite wall, and flipped the switch, eventually dissipating the cell wall that held White Eclipse and Makarov captive. "I won't tell you what to do, Master of Fairy Tail, but you three, quickly, get out."<br>Makarov nodded to Evanee's words. "You want this fight. If you don't want to fight with your own guild mate, there's no reason for us to try and help."  
>"Say no more!" Zalen says as he begins running down the hall and turning. Heather and Clover shrug, and follow them, with Makarov bringing up the rear with a slow walk. "Siegrain..." Makarov sneers to himself. "I'm sure you're breaking so many laws yourself..this won't go unpunished."<br>As the others left, Evanee began walking towards Drail, who just began making his way out of the rubble his body caused. The anger on his face was only matched by the tone his voice. "You're going to pay for such insolence! Do you know who I am!? I'm going to devour you!" Evanee continued to walk, disregarding the blind anger that Drail spat out. Drail swung and then fired both of chain lengths, wrapping them around Evanee's arms. Magic circles then appeared at the ends of them. Evanee looked at them both with an emotionless expression. "You better make it count." Spouted the ace of Twilight Zone. "I'll make it count alright!" Drail yelled back. From the magic circles, bolts of lightning trailed down the chains, all the way to Evanee. The electricity ran through Evanee, causing her to wince. Once she regained herself, she looked up at Drail as the lightning kept flowing. Evanee gave the warden a cocky grin, causing him to raise a brow in confusion. She held her ground, showing the lightning to be less than effective. Evanee then drew in a deep breath, concentrating magic into her mouth. She then lurched her head forward, and unleashed a devastating torrent of Underworldly magic towards Drail. His eyes widened in horror. "She tricked me! She wanted to be caught! I-"

As Zalen and the others ran forward, they nearly lost their balance from the explosion behind them. "What was that!?" Clover asked, looking back. "Ignore it, Heather stated. "I'm sure it was that girl that saved us. Following Heather's command, Clover continued running with the others. Finally, they turned another corner, noticing Gajeel and Nami standing across from Dól and a beaten up Pantherlily. Dól's eyes widened. "Huh!? How did you get free!?" The lieutenant asked. "Zalen, Heather! Clover!" Nami shouted in joy to see them. Gajeel and the two exceeds gave a look of disappointment. "So they're not down here.." Charla said with worry in her voice. The three mages surround Dól quickly, ready to strike. "We defeated your wimp of a warden!" Zalen bluffed. "Give up or suffer the same fate!" Clover added. Dól slowly lifted his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "Tch...it doesn't matter. More guards will be here soon. You're just delaying the inevitable."  
>As Dól spoke, two iron pillars shot from the ground from Zalen's magic seal. They wrapped around Dól's arms, forcing him to lay face down on the ground. By this time, Heather broke off the cuffs around Nami and Gajeel's ankle. Nami happily hugs her afterward. "I'm glad you guys are okay!" The light mage exclaimed. "Okay, okay. Lets just get going." Heather replied.<p>

.

"Hokori..."  
>Reve peered into the cell. The voice that called out to him was now identified. Silent Sanctum's takeover mage, Hokori stood imprisoned, standing in front of the cell wall as he grinned towards the gunslinger. Reve then turned around to the opposite cell, noticing a snicker coming from it. It was Byron, with Myou sitting down across from him. The Silent Sanctum mages occupied this floor. "I thought you guys were dead? Tartaros exploded with you guys in it I heard. I-"<br>"Yeah we can't hear anything you're saying, gunslinger." Hokori interrupted. Reve raised a brow, his blue eyes narrowing to the warrior takeover mage. "You're in the room of echoes, which is why I'm whispering to you. It's a mixture of Earthland's quietest room, and the most amplified. You see gunslinger, I'm sure you heard it by now, but it's so quiet in this room, you can hear your blood flow, and your heart beat. Makes you feel dizzy right? I could yell, and the vibrations of this room would cause your ears to bleed from the mix of the echoes. Yet, when no sound is being made, it's so quiet in here, that you need earplugs to block the silence. Ironic huh? Everyone in here have on earplugs, and I can tell that you don't. You did beat Bull before coming up here right?"  
>Reve slowly shook his head no. Hokori then held in a laugh. "Then whatever you're up to, ends here. This is Bull's room dummy. He's a sound mage. One yell from him, and you'll be on the brink of death."<br>Reve then steps to the cell wall. "Then where's the exit!" He yelled, and as he did, the echoes against the walls and hanging hollow speakers amplified, making a loud screeching noise. Reve covered his hands in immense pain, hunching over from the pain itself. "Idiot, do you listen? I said I can't hear you, and I just explained this room to you. But I'm sure you're looking for the exit up right?" Still wincing from the screeching noise he caused, Reve nodded his head. Hokori then began to lift his arm. "Well then, it's over.." He then turned his arm to flip Reve off. He stifled his laughter as Reve glared with immense anger towards the takeover mage. "You know..." Reve whispered. "Magic can reach inside of a cell, it's just useless once in there." Reve then equipped his magnum gun, and slowly lifted his hand to point it towards a now wide eyed Hokori, but before he could fire, the entire room began to vibrate. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard. Hokori began to grin again. "Cover your ears if you wanna live." He said with in a sadistic tone. Reve stared blankly at first, and then quickly did what he said as he was lifted off of his feet from the force of a sound wave that came from the staircase. He landed on his back, still holding his hands against his ears as he looked up. He could see Bull's shadow coming around the corner, so he quickly stood up. "I'm gonna have to foot back..but if I remove my hands, I'll be finished..." He looked up at the lone clock on the wall. "Five minutes...!" Reve began taking in deep breathes as Bull's shadow crept around the corner. Bull then showed himself, standing across from the gunslinger. "Hm..so you're gonna fight me with your hands to your ears?" The warden asked. "You'll certainly lose. It's a shame. You made it so far, just to be defeated by a room."  
>Reve began to pant a bit more, due to the anxiety. He knew he had no choice. "Take my ears, I don't care." Bull raised a brow as Reve slowly removed his hands from his ears, placing them on his magnum. "I have a sister to save..."<br>Bull grinned. The warden summoned a magic circle just in front of his mouth. "So be it, but it'll be more than your sense of hearing that'll I'll be taking, this floor is on death row, so I'll be taking your life as WELL!" When bull exclaimed the word "well," five visible yet massive sound rings hurled towards Reve. He held his ground. He closed his eyes as he began to focus his magic energy. His celestial magnum began to glow in one chamber. "One shot...everything I have." He took aim towards Bull and the incoming rings, already feeling the amplification start.  
>Reve then squeezed the trigger.<p>

"Bang..."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Inches Away.

Rizu groaned in annoyance. "Looks like I have to go get ready." He stood up, and turned to Odin and Layanna who were standing behind him. "You two, with the capture team outside, I need you both to go handle the Oracion seis with Valry. She may have a bit of an issue with Fairy Tail down there as well." Odin shrugged, but nodded as well. "Because if they were to escape the stronghold, then it would actually be our problem." Odin grinned to his own words as he began walking out with the silent Layanna. Rizu turned back to the monitors, giving them a look over one more time before walking out the other way. A small grin etched upon his face. Before he walked out, he pressed a button, causing his voice to project over an intercom. "Okay stronghold members, fun is over. It's time to take down the intruders." He then walked out, walking down the hallway until he reached the door to another room. "He may have beaten Bull, but he has no magic left. This is up my alley. Playing with my victims."

Siegrain stood from his chair. The second he did, two council guards ran over, picked up the chair, and ran off. He then looked over to another guard, signaling him to activate he lacrima screen. While the guard prepared it, Siegrain turned to Skye once more with a smirk. "Five minutes and counting. Where's your so called brother? Do you still have that faith in him like you did an hour ago? Lets here you answer Skye. Do you still believe in your guild mates, even though they're still struggling to defeat one of my wardens?"  
>Skye kept her head lowered. Her brown bangs covered her eyes, creating a shadow over them. From the shadowed area, tears began to fall, slowly. Drop by drop they fell as sniffling came from the sword requip mage. This sound caused Siegrain to grin. "I still believe in them..."<br>Skye's words quickly wiped the grin from Siegrain's face. "What?"  
>"I...I still believe in them..!" Skye yelled, lifting her head towards the Bluenette. "The last few minutes are the longest! Five minutes is more than enough time for them to make it! For someone to..."<br>Siegrain stood in front of her, a disgusted look upon his face as he glared towards her. He then grabbed Skye by her jaw with his right hand as he crouched down to her level, squeezing down on her jaw as he sneered. "You foolish guild mages are all the same. It's always 'believing in this,' and 'family first that.' You all are just copies of each other, produced by that filth of a guild that started it all. Fairy Tail!" He then pushed her face away as he stood back up. Skye continued to hold in her cries as her tears fell. Siegrain then turned to the appearing screen, completely changing his demeanor as the cities of Fiore appeared in front of him. As if they were counting the minutes the whole time, plenty of people from each city were all waiting on their streets in bunches, cheering as the "Hero of EarthLand" appeared on screen. "Ladies and gentlemen! We are mere minutes away from a rightful execution, and the dawn of a new era in Fiore, and even EarthLand itself!" Seigrain gave a smug ear to ear smile as the motions of people cheering caught his eyes. "In exactly..three and a half minutes, you will all witness pure magic being turned into lacrima! How excited are you!?"  
>Behind him, Skye lowered her head once more to hide her face and the continuous fall of her tears from the public. "R-Reve... Kairi...anyone." She whispered to herself in her shaky voice. Off to the right, Lahar, Doranbolt and Ultear appeared on the roof. Lahar couldn't help but stare at Skye and her disposition, quietly clenching his right hand as he watched her. "Justice right?" Lahar turned to Doranbolt, who stood with his arms folded. Doranbolt turned to Lahar as well and repeated himself. "Justice, right? Remember why we've reunited long ago, because no matter how the rules change, we're needed here to make sure nothing is out of hand; to make sure that it's justice being served, and not selfishness by a single ruler."<br>Lahar nodded to Doranbolt's words. He then turned back to Skye. "But I can't tell if this is justice or selfishness. If it is selfishness, he's disguised it so well.."

.

"He laid on the floor, panting. His blurry vision slowly started to fix as he could hear a loud ringing in his ears. As Reve laid there, Hokori, Byron and Myou all looked on in shock as Bull laid in front of them, white eyed and unconscious, near death really. They witnessed the entire exchange. "My gods.." Hokori whispered as he looked over at Reve. "That was everything he had, and pending on how much he's been through to get up here...he's gotten a lot stronger since I last saw him."  
>"Holy smokes.." Byron blinked excessively, as if trying to wake up from what he saw. "That was unreal..Bull is out."<br>Reve finally struggled his way up to his feet. He looked up, noticing a ladder that lead up to the next floor, and he began slowly climbing it, wincing with every step. His torn clothes and visible bruises all caused by the third floor warden's sound waves. Hokori and the others watched him scale the ladder, and push the hatch open. He climbed through, the hatch closing behind him. He began wincing in immense pain again, but fought through it as he forced himself up once more. He looked around, noticing his surroundings. "What is this? A garden?" He continued to look about at the room. It was filled with trees and other flora. He continued looking around until his eyes made their way straight ahead, noticing Rizu standing in front of two a glass door. Reve's eyes widen, because behind the door, he could see Skye, sitting in the chair. "Skye!"  
>Her head pops up as her ears perk. Slowly she turns her head as far to the right as she could, a smile etching across her face. There she could just see him. "Reve!"<br>Siegrain turned as well. Internally taken back, he grinned. "Well well, with minutes to spare, big brother Reve is one warden away from saving you. How did that shit do it?"  
>"Persistent little mage." Ultear says as she watches the two inside.<br>"Reve Volver of White Eclipse." Rizu grins as he tips his hat. "I've been watching you, and I must say I'm highly impressed. You've made it all the way up here. I mean, you had help from your comrades, but you're here nonetheless."  
>Reve begins limping forward, as if Rizu wasn't even there as he made his way to the door. Rizu raised a brow, and then began to grin again. "Oh this is too good." The blue haired head warden says as he allows Reve to walk towards him. Reve tries to walk past him, but instead, Rizu places a palm on his chest, and with his surprisingly immense strength, pushes him all the way back to the opposite wall with one shove. Reve's head bounces off the wall, causing him to fall forward as he clutches the back of his head. "One minute." Siegrain says as he watches with a grin. He then turns back to the screen. "One minute!" He yells to the cities. He lifts his arms as if he's being praised, which he was. Back inside, just feet away from the door that led to Skye. Reve tried to make it past Rizu again. Once again, he merely pressed his hand against the gunslinger's chest. Reve nearly fell over, using Rizu's hand as a crutch. The Bluenette couldn't help but smirk. "It's useless." The head warden says in a condescending manner. "You have nothing left. We're only seconds away from justice." As Rizu held up the completely drained Reve, over to the right, a "ding" sound was heard. He looked over as the elevator began to open. "Hm? Did Odin and Layanna finish up already? No, it's probably Correll."<br>The elevator doors opened, showing that no one was inside. "...Well that's peculiar. Oh well, back to-"  
>Before Rizu could finish his statement, his head snaps to the side, causing him to release Reve. As he held the kick against Rizu's jaw, Rylo appeared, his camouflage leaving him as the head warden went flying into the wall. Barely conscious, Reve nearly fell over until Rylo caught him. "Hey! Not yet! We're almost there!" Rylo shouted. He held Reve's face up towards Skye. Now standing in between him and Skye was Ultear, Lahar, and Doranbolt. "You see that, she's right there. I can't do this without. She's your guild member, and we have twenty seconds left! So get up!"<p>

.

{Minutes before}  
>Outside, the brawl continued, until the intercom announcement came on. Rizu's voice rang through the speakers.<br>"Okay stronghold members, fun is over. It's time to take down the intruders."  
>Cal and Trace both stopped what they were doing to take in the announcement. They then turned to the mass of guards scattered around. Trace then began to yell, his clones echoing the message. "Alright you useless shits! You heard Rizu! Take the handicap off and pull out the cuffs! Bring them in!"<br>Luke, after performing another ice make technique to another guard, turned to the shouting Trace. "What's he going on about?" As he looked back, his legs were quickly swept from under him by a random guard. He rolled away from him in a scramble, only to be tackled by another. With that guard on top of him, two more came around, and clamped magic sealing cuffs on him. "What!?" Luke was completely taken by surprise, as he was now cuffed and powerless. One of the guards shoved his face into the ground to keep him down. "Luke!" Kuro yelled. He began running towards his guild mate, only to be surrounded by a swarm of guards. "Their attacking in numbers, but with more precision!" Kuro's thoughts may have examined what was going on, but they also distracted him from what was going on as the guards bum rushed the fire make mage, not giving him a chance to perform a fire make technique. He punched a few guards in the face until he was finally taken over. A guard grabbed his right wrist and slapped the cuffs on him. He we was able to head butt him away, but the other guards held him down as they cuffed the red head.  
>"Tch! They're swarming!" Alexander yelled. He began backing up from the ten guards rushing towards him, completely unguarded from behind as a council guard snuck up and slammed a staff to the back of his head. He fell face first, and found himself quickly cuffed.<br>Mirajane and Ceaser looked around as their guild mates slowly began to become subdued by the council. "How are they?"  
>"Sorry for playing around with you all." Cal says with a grin. "But you know how Siegrain is." As Cal spoke, Mirajane noticed Lisanna being cornered by guards. Elfman was already attempting to fight them off, but within seconds he was captured, being brought down by a number of council guards. "Lisanna!" Mirajane took off, flying full speed towards her, only to be cut off by Cal himself. "Yo, Shorty!" Ceaser yelled, but it was too late. With a golden glowing right hand, Cal grabs Mirajane by her wing, and within seconds, she was turned to solid gold, crashing into the ground.<br>Jack was still trying to fight off Trace, the clone mage, and slowly he was losing ground due to the numbers. He ducked a kick from the Trace behind him, only to take a right hook to the jaw from the Trace to the left. That was all it took as the one to the right wrapped his arms around the drunk's sternum, lifted him, and slammed him into the ground. Then Trace from the front quickly slides in and cuffs the disoriented Jack Royal where he laid. "Now, with you out of the way." Trace says.  
>"We can go round up the others." Cal finishes. He runs towards the readied Ceaser while Trace and his clones take off in different directions.<p>

Gray stood in his ice make stance in the pitch darkness as the announcement was made. It caught his and Erza's attention, as well as Black and White's. The two lieutenant wardens started laughing once the announcement was over. "Stay alert!" Erza reminded Gray. "Right!" Gray replied. "You okay Erza? Erza?" She didn't answer. "Shit...!" He kept the space around him illuminated with his frosty aura as he looked around in a panic. Behind him, White slowly began to arise from nowhere, as if appearing out of a shadow. The last thing Gray saw was a blinding light in his face.

.

{Flashback}  
>"Why do you call me that?" Reve asked Skye, causing her to let go of the hug she had on him. She sat back a bit as she gave the gunslinger a smile. "Because it's what you are to me! You and Kairi. You're the one who are there for me the most.."<br>Reve arched a brow. "Oh. Well, it's not like I'm giving you special treatment. Every guild member is family in a way you know.."  
>"It's not that." Skye replied. "It's just how I feel about it. Do you not want to be.."<br>"I never said that." Reve says, causing Skye to smile again.  
>"So you do want to be!"<br>"I never said that either!"  
>"Well which one is it!?"<p>

"Nii-San!"  
>Reve huffs. He then runs his hands through his hair. "Just know, that you're family to everyone here. And if you see me as your big brother, then so be it. I'll be the best big brother I can for you."<br>Skye nods, returning an endearing smile. "I know you will! That's why you're it. You'll protect me when I need it right?"  
>{End Flashback.}<p>

"You'll protect me when I need it right?"  
>Her words from that day rung through his head. Reve began standing on his own as he bared his teeth. "I'll always...protect you when you need it, Skye." He now stood up straight, scanning the situation before him. To his left, an extremely upset Rizu made his way to his feet, and in front of him, Lahar, Ultear and Doranbolt waited for him just in case. With fifteen seconds remaining, another ding was heard from the elevator. As soon as the doors opened...Evanee came charging out. "No way!" Rylo and Reve looked on in shock as Evanee bursted through the glass doors. "She beat that warden? That fast? We both were struggling just a minute ago..." Rylo continued to watch in a bit of shock as Evanee was cut off by Doranbolt who phased right in front of her. He threw a kick, but she grabbed his foot and slung him off to the side.<br>"What are you waiting on!?" Evanee yelled. Reve and then Rylo snapped out of their trance, and immediately took off. "No you don't you pests!" Rizu conjured a magic circle under the running gunslinger, but before it activated, Rylo shoulder tackled the gunslinger out of it's radius, now becoming trapped in it himself as a plethora a vines wrapped around his arms and legs. Rylo was unable to move as Reve ran ahead without looking back. All while this was going on, Siegrain stood next to the switch with a grin on his face.  
>"I'm a man of my word so...ten...nine..."<p>

.

{Minutes before.}

Natsu, Wendy, and Levy stood off with Oracion Seis. Neither side made a move for a while. The grins on Oracion Seis's face were exact opposites to the sneers on Fairy Tail's. The grin on Cobra'a face however, quickly disappeared as his ears perked. "...We have company."  
>"Hm?" Angel averted her eyes from her targets in front of her to look up and see Odin and Layanna walking towards them with a crowd of council guards behind them. "Shit..!" There's nowhere to go either!" Racer says. Zero huffs in frustration. As Odin and Layanna's squad covers the only exit. "Natsu!" Wendy calls out as she faces the council guards. Levy does the same as Natsu keeps his eyes on Zero and the others. Zero then begins to grin. "Well. We might as well get our fill in before we're put back in our cells right!?"<br>"I heard that." Cobra responds as he crouches a bit. "That's fine." Angel adds as she creates a shining light within her hands, ready to attack.  
>"Oi! You're speaking my language!" Natsu says as he pounds his fists together, creating fire around them both. "Lucy! You okay down there!?"<br>Down below, Lucy and Valry stood off. Valry reached to her belt, and pulled out her magic sealing cuffs as she smirked. "I'm f-fine Natsu!" She said as she backed away from the council warden. Back on the second floor, Odin raised his hand. "...Bring them in!" He yelled as he and Layanna lead the charge towards Natsu and the others as well as Oracion Seis, beginning the struggle on the second floor.

.

"Eight...seven...six."  
>Halfway there. Reve ran full speed past Evanee and the tossed aside Doranbolt. As Reve ran, Ultear appeared beside him, ready to toss one of her time orbs his way. As she reared back, Evanee appeared behind her with her own blinding speed. She then bent Ultear's wrist back and flipped her away from Reve. The normal flip was seen more like a throw due to her immense strength.<br>"This is exciting! Five! Four! Three!" Seigrain counted down as the lacrima screen continued to show cheering civilians everywhere.

Back inside the stronghold, as Kairi crashes into the ground once again, the lacrima screen appears in the top corner. Out of breath and seemingly out of fight, she panted and looked up at the screen. She noticed Reve merely a foot away with seconds left. "Reve.. You better..!"  
>Correll stopped as well to watch the screen. With a cocky grin, he slid his hands in his pockets as he stood a bit ways away from the heavily bruised angel takeover. Correll looked untouched, and the expression on his face signified it.<p>

"We're not gonna make it!" Evanee says as Lahar ran towards Reve. She knew she had to take a risk. Instead of clearing a path to Skye for the gunslinger, she changed objectives. "The switch!"  
>"Two..."<br>In a blur, Evanee changed directions, planting her foot into the ground and lunged towards Siegrain and the machine. Siegrain was so asphyxiated on his watch, that he looked up in shock as he saw Evanee now an inch away from him. He stood wide eyed...until Evanee's hand was stopped short. There was a hand grasped tightly around her wrist. It was Rizu, standing with a grin. "Not today." He said with his usually confident demeanor. Evanee growled, and tried to quickly get him off by throwing a high right kick, yet Rizu grabbed the incoming leg, swept the other, and slammed the ace to the ground. Evanee was completely taken off guard due to her rushing...and she now found herself wearing a pair of magic sealing cuffs. Rizu looked back up at Siegrain as he kept his knee against Evanee's back. "Don't you have a switch to pull?"  
>Reve ran right for Lahar. Lahar stood, waiting for the gunslinger to reach him, or close enough as Reve stepped on a certain spot. In a moment of adrenaline, Reve could feel the runes activate, and dove forward, just missing them. In one motion, he rolled past the box of runes that was about to capture him, and slammed a right fist into Lahar's jaw, knocking him off his feet as he fell forward himself due to all of his momentum. Reve quickly popped up. "Skye!"<br>"Reve!" She called back, tears continuing to run down her face. Siegrain finally snapped out of how close Evanee was from destroying him. He then held his finger under the switch as he yelled out to Reve and Skye. "You're too slow gunslinger!" He then flipped the switch, causing a magic seal to appear under the sword requip mage and the chair. "No!" Reve kept running, and was now inches away from Skye's chair as she began to panic. Now less than an inch away, Reve vision became distorted...as he was tackled to the ground by Doranbolt. On the bottom of the two man pile, Reve threw a right punch towards Doranbolt, but he simply moved his head away, and slapped a magic sealing handcuff on Reve's wrist. With one arm still free, Reve used it to get up, and shoulder tackle Doranbolt to the ground. Doranbolt held on, and took him down with him. The magic circle under Skye began to spin and illuminate. "Reve! Reve help!" She cried out. Reve jumped up, and began running towards Skye, but Doranbolt grabbed his foot, tripping him up. He slammed face first into the ground, and to make it worse, the recovering Lahar came back in, helping Doranbolt pin the gunslinger down. "Get off me! Skye!"  
>"Re-" Her call for her "big brother" turned into screams of the utmost pain as the magic circle engulfed the White Eclipse mage in a giant beam that fired upwards. "SKYE!" Reve tried to desperately claw out of the pin with his one free arm, but it was no use.<p>

Back on the ground, everyone who wasn't part of the council watched in horror. Nearly everyone was cuffed or subdued. "Skye!" Kuro yelled out frantically. The council guards that had him yanked him back as he stared at the stronghold roof with everyone else. Alexander watched as well, noticing that Evanee was up there, being held down. "Is Evanee next!?"  
>"Stop!" All of White Eclipse on the ground yelled in unison, desperately struggling against the council guards. "Let her go! Siegrain you bastard, quit it!" Jack yelled.<br>"Skye!" Aira called out, tears slowly flowing, unsure what was even happening to her. All she could hear was her painful cries as the beam that engulfed her continued to entertain the ones watching on the lacrima screens.

"Skye! Skye...!" Reve's head was pushed into the floor of the roof as he helplessly watched and listened to her screams. Suddenly, her screams cut off. Reve waited in silence, unsure of what was happening. The beam of light was still going on, there was just no sound from Skye. Then seconds later, the giant beam stopped. Skye sat in the chair, face covered by her own hair. She sat, leaning over as if about to fall out of her chair, even though the restraints on her wouldn't allow her to. Everyone, including the people watching on the screens were quiet. Siegrain walked over to the chair, Reve watching his every move. He then stood next to the seated brunette and looked up to the sky. He narrowed his eyes, and then fully opened them once more. "Ah! Here it comes!"  
>The bluenette then held his hand up to the sky. Slowly, a brownish colored lacrima stone floated down from the sky, and into his hands. Reve's eyes widened in disbelief. "Skye!? Skye talk to me! Say something to me Skye!"<br>Siegrain began laughing as Reve called out to her. "She's dead, gunslinger."  
>"No she isn't! No she..." Reve buried his head in the ground to shield his face from view as sniffling could be heard from him. "Skye wake up!"<br>Siegrain turned back to the awaiting citizens of each town. He then held up the lacrima with his right hand, causing an uproar of cheers from every civilian watching.

"Welp! That's it for her! It's a pity, but life goes on. Just not her's!" Correll began laughing as he kept his hands in his pockets. Kairi kept her eyes on the screen. They were wide and blank. "Skye..." She muttered in disbelief and sadness. Disbelief that soon turned into anger. In the next second, a loud thump was heard coming from her chest. Then another. Correll was already walking away as he gave a dismissive wave, not noticing the small magic circle that appeared under Kairi. "I like ya, angel, so get out while you can before you're locked up okay?"  
>"...Skye."<p>

"This! This is what I was preaching about!" Siegrain yells as continues to hold the lacrima up in the air. "This piece of lacrima will be the beginning of a new era! The era where being a mage is no longer a gift, but a luxury! Now that we got that settled ladies and gentlemen.." He then turned back to Evanee Rylo and Reve, all being held down. "We have new pending criminals it seems. Right Erza Scarlet!?"  
>At the sound of her name, both Black and White walked through the open doors that lead to the stronghold roof pushing the apprehended Titania forward each time. Black then kicked in the back of her legs, causing her to fall to her knees as Siegrain walked towards her. He then bent down with a grin as he gently held her by her chin. "It's a shame, Erza. I thought you would be the one to make it up here."<br>Erza yanked her face away, scoffing. She then looked over towards the chair and the mage no longer breathing. "You know she didn't deserve that.."  
>"Oh but she did. You all do." Siegrain replied. He then stood back up and turned to Rylo and Evanee's direction. He then began to broadcast his voice for everyone to hear. "Twilight Zone. You have been charged for aiding a criminal, breaking and entering into the council stronghold, and aiding the attempt of an escape of criminals." He then turns back to the lacrima screen. "Black Phoenix. You've been charged with aiding a criminal. That's right, you may not be here, but I know you're listening and you're just as guilty. Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, you're charges have already been discussed, and that was with the Zeref and apocalypse case." A small smile appears on the bluenette's face. "I hear by drop all of the charges from each guild."<br>"What!?" The council guards, captains, wardens, and even the mages all gave a collective spurt of shock to Siegrain's decision. "You heard me. All charges are dropped."  
>"What are you up to Siegrain?" Erza asked in a sneering tone. "Ah, you know me so well, Erza." He replied. The council leader then turned back to the screens. "Instead of having you all rot in prison, you four guilds, now work for me."<br>"As if we'd do that!" Evanee spat out, now wincing as Rizu drives his knee into her spine a bit more.  
>"You don't have much of a choice. It's either that, or hop in the chair that Skye just experienced." He grins towards Evanee, winks, and then moves back to the screens. "So welcome to the team, you four guilds. And I dare you to not cooperate. Also! Fairy Tail! Your alliances with Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus...are now deemed illegal. In the meantime. Guards, release your captures."<br>"Illegal!?" Erza protested. "What do you mean illegal!?"  
>Lahar and Doranbolt hopped off of Reve, who kept his head down as the cuffs were removed from his wrists. "...I'm not leaving without Skye."<br>Siegrain turned back to Reve with his brow arched. "She's dead, let it go."  
>I know but...let me have the body. She's with us, so we'll bury her..." Reve strained his voice, trying to keep it from cracking as his raven colored hair covered his eyes. All that could be seen was the tears slowly flowing from them. Siegrain hesitated, but then nodded to the guard to release Skye from the chair. Reve walked over, and picked her up, now carrying her in his arms. The entire roof was quiet for the next moment, until Siegrain broke the silence. "Lahar, escort everyone off this island. I think Blue Pegasus's ship is fixed by now."<br>Reve began slowly walking to the doors as he held Skye in his arms, a few tear drops splashing against her sternum. "I'm so sorry...I lied to you Skye... I said I'd always be there to protect you. I'm so sorry.."

The heartbeat became louder. Correll walked down the hallway, but finally stopped once he heard it. Curiosity got the best of him, and the blonde council captain turned around and walked back to where he left Kairi. Once arriving, he saw a standing Kairi. She was a bit hunched over as a small magic seal spun under her. "Uh, angel? Kairi?"  
>"Skye...you killed her. So...I'll kill you. I'll take one of yours."<br>"Kill me?" Correll began to snicker, then bursts into a short laughing fit. "Look, she deserved it, and you're in no condition to fight, let alone have the ability to kill me."  
>The magic seal under Kairi continued to spin, picking up speed as she slowly raised her head. "I'll take one of yours...so says the fallen angel, Lucifer."<br>"Lucifer?"  
>"Siegrain, you're going to pay!"<br>As Kairi yelled, the magic seal under her expanded exponentially. The sudden rise in magic power began to break the floor and ceiling apart, causing the remaining debris to ascend through the ceiling of the third and fourth floors.

Back on the roof, the beam of rising magic shot through the roof, just missing Seigrain himself as he fell backwards. The communication to the lacrima screens were now cut off. "What is that!?" The Bluenette questioned as the entire building began to shake vigorously.  
>"That light..." Ceaser looked on from the ground, seemingly the only one who understood what was happening.<p>

Back inside, Correll attempted to hold his ground as Kairi let out a vicious yell, nearly destroying the entire floor just from the preparations of what was to come alone. Kairi's attire was now replaced by a white, armored, v-neck top that extended to her hands, where it is fitted into red gloves, and is paired with a red under armor shirt. Her legs were now sheathed by white, form-fitting dress-like pants, that formed into red boots at her ankles. A black, lightning bolt shaped mark traveled from her left collar bone and ended at her right cheek bone. Her hair becomes curlier, and adopts a dark violet color.  
>Correll stood in shock as he now stood across from the legendary angel takeover, Lucifer. He began backing up, until he tripped over how own feet, now scooting away. Kairi finally took a step forward, closing in on the captain.<p>

Correll looked around for assistance or an exit, yet found neither. When he turned back to Kairi, she now stood right in front of him, towering over the blonde. Before he could speak, there was a right grasp around his neck as Kairi lifted him by his throat and held him up. Correll gagged and choked, swinging his feet as he looked into the eyes of the angel takeover: Lucifer.

"Kairi...please..."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Angel, The Pharaoh, and The Ghost

"What was that light!?" Luke Cloud asked from the outside. He stood around with the once frenzied war zone as the entire council stronghold shook on it's foundation until the light disappeared.  
>"I know exactly what it is.." Ceaser says, just loud enough for Jaxon, who stood beside him now to hear. "Well, what was it?" The weather mage asked him. "The fact you don't know what that light is, shows that your guild doesn't know much about your own guild mate, Kairi, but now isn't the time for that shorty." Ceaser then pointed to the Blue Pegasus ship. "Everyone needs to get off the island, right now!"<br>"Kairi?"Jaxon looked back at Ceaser, unsure of how to respond to his statement.  
>"What's going on!?" Elfman yelled in confusion.<br>"Everything doesn't need answers! Especially when we don't have time for them!" Taranis yelled.  
>"It's obvious that Taranis knows too. So what do they know about Kairi that we don't?" These thoughts rushed through Waiston's head, yet he couldn't put them together no matter how hard he tried.<br>"I could stop her...maybe. But...-"  
>"Ceaser!" Ceaser's thoughts were stopped immediately as Evanee yelled from the roof. She too knew what was happening, so she do use her voice towards the moronic mage. "I know what your thinking, and...not yet. Wait for my signal!"<br>Ceaser hesitated, even nervously shook a little, but he then nodded.  
>"You have knowledge of what's going on, so fill us in!" Rizu shouted towards the Twilight Zone ace. Evanee calmly turned to the head Council Warden. "Calm down. That giant beam of light.. Was a takeover."<br>"A takeover? That's what we're fearing?"  
>"Don't be ignorant." Evanee continued. "This is no ordinary takeover. Each takeover has a form that defies the strength of all other forms. Think of the takeovers you know so far."<br>Siegrain began counting. "Well, to my knowledge, there's the beast, Angel, demon, and ancient takeover that your buddy down there has."  
>Rizu then added. "And we have a prisoner who knows warrior takeover."<br>Evanee nodded. "Right. Now, whether they've learned it or not, they all have a takeover that's far more powerful then anything in their arsenal. But till this day...no one's successfully controlled it. The takeover takes a mind of it's own, so the nature of that takeover becomes the host, and nine times out of ten... It isn't a good natured soul."  
>"So..." Siegrain looked at the hole in the roof, squinting to try to depict who was in there. He spotted Kairi, but couldn't tell who she was holding. "Oh...it's the angel girl. Yeah she looks a lot different."<br>"Now would be a good time for everyone to evacuate." Evanee replies. Siegrain scoffed. "No one on this force is evacuating!"  
>"Don't be an idiot!" Rylo yelled back. "She's going to kill everyone here!"<br>Siegrain looked over at the magician, and gave a grin, as well as a shrug. Evanee watched his actions, then clenched her fists in annoyance and frustration. "Do you not care!? Everyone, including your men are going to die!"  
>"Soldiers are expendable, Evanee." Siegrain folded his arms as he walked to the edge of the tower. "The only thing hard to replace are my captains, and as you see, they are fine."<br>Before Evanee could move a muscle, with maiming the council leader on her mind, another loud explosion was heard. This time, as the stronghold shook, a giant beam of light and dark energy fire from out from the side of the stronghold. The giant beam traveled from the stronghold, all the way off the island and halfway across the ocean. Everyone watched in shock and awe at the beam until it finally dispersed. Once it did, a lone figure was seen falling towards the ground. His body was completely ruined. The only thing that was noticeable, was his blonde hair. Siegrain's eyes widened once he realized who was falling. "Correll!"  
>Everyone was on the edge of the tower at this time as they watched the blonde haired captain fall. It was evident that he was already dead, and once his body hit the ground, the rest of the council did nothing but stare with mortified expressions.<br>"Captain Correll...!" One of the councilmen of the stronghold, Trace, yelled. He couldn't believe what he just saw.  
>Evanee was the first to snap out of it. She yelled for Ceaser again.<br>"Ceaser! We need you!"  
>"R-right!" The cinnamon haired mage created a magic circle under his feet. The seal began to spin rapidly. "Okay Ceaser..you have five minutes. You can do this. Shorty is counting on you!" After giving himself a small pep talk, Ceaser erupted into a roar as a giant beam of light, similar to Kairi's shot up around him, and into the sky. His torso was now bare chested, except he now wore a tight, black, sleeveless open chest hoody with his hood over his head perfectly covering his eyes that now glowed red. On his wrist were golden braces that fit tightly and every finger except the thumb had a ring on them. His lower body was covered by a cloth, the front of the cloth longer than the rest, and was held up by a golden cross belt with a black jewel in the middle. His feet wore normal sandals and just like his wrist, his ankles had on tight golden braces. Ceaser now stood in his strongest takeover, Anubis. The countdown began in Evanee's head. Ceaser had five minutes before he lost control. He then leaped into the hole that Kairi created with one spring of his legs.<br>"Wait...now there's two monsters unleashed in there!?" Ultear asked as she looked through the roof hole cautiously.  
>"Ceaser has made amazing improvement on his takeover. He can control his for five minutes, and for such a takeover, that an amazing feat." Rylo's reassurance wasn't enough as Lahar, and Doranbolt first phased over to Ultear, and then to Siegrain. "We're ready when you are sir." Lahar says, as the three of them stood in front of him, waiting. Siegrain looked at all three of them, then nodded. "Stay ready, we're going to see how this plays out."<p>

Odin, Layanna, and Valry all stood on the second floor. Oracion Seis was in a bruised mess, once again in handcuffs. Valry wiped her chin, scowling as she looked down on them. "You clowns were closer to escaping last time. You had Fairy Tail help and you couldn't even make it out. Speaking of Fairy Tail.." Valry turned her attention to a beaten down Natsu, being held up by Levy and Lucy. "I'll admit, you really put a hurt on this kid, even though you ganged up on him."  
>No one from the opposing side said a word, as Oracion Seis all sat on the ground, hands cuffed behind their backs. But then, Cobra's ears perked. He didn't say anything, but he heard something familiar. A small grin slowly etched upon his face as he whispered. "So you are around?"<br>Odin had his attention directed to the shaking. "We should probably get out of here. Valry you can escort them back into their cells I'm sure. You four..." He pointed to the Fairy Tail mages. "Follow us out."

Kairi was walking towards the hole in the wall she created, until Ceaser appeared in front of her, leaping through the hole itself.  
>"Shorty, can you hear me?" His voice was normal, signifying that it was still Ceaser. He then took a step forward, causing the hostile angel takeover to do the same. "Calm down, I don't want to fight, but you have to fight your takeover. I know you're in there."<br>He took another step forward, and immediately Kairi held her palms out to her side, rotating them to create small circles in the air. This caused two magic seals to form above the opponents head; one gold, for light magic, and one purple, for darkness magic. Once created, the two seals simultaneously rained down raw magic onto Ceaser. "Fall of Heavens." Her voice rung, though it wasn't her voice at all. As Ceaser covered up to shield himself from the light and shadow magic that rained upon him, he took note of Kairi's voice, coming to the conclusion that she was completely gone. Once Kairi's attack stopped, and the smoke cleared, Ceaser stood there, a few bruises on his body. His new body gave him a stronger defense as well, but now wasn't the time to admire the upgrade Anubis gave him. "It's the hard way then!" Ceaser yelled as he slammed his hand on the ground. Suddenly, the entire floor, or what was left of it, turns into ash, leaving the hallways completely floor-less. Kairi quickly began to hover as the floor disappeared. She quickly charged Ceaser, her right fist reared back. Before she could land her right hook, the ashes that were just created began to spin around him, like a protective tornado. Kairi swung her punch, only to have it reach in a stalemate against the spinning ashes. The ashes then wrapped around Kairi's arm, tightened it's grip and then flung her out the hole she created earlier. Kairi crashed into the ground, and everyone scattered, giving the angel takeover space, mostly because they didn't want to become a victim. Before she could stand, Ceaser leaped out of the tower as well, landing right on top of her and pinning her to the ground face first.  
>"Kairi!" Aira yelled, but as much as she wanted to help her, Kuro grabbed her by her arm, shaking his head no to calm her. "She'll kill you.."<br>Pinned down, but not out, Kairi struggled a bit, but then placed her palms on the ground, causing a gold/purple seal to form beneath her and Ceaser. The result of this attack was a violent vortex of Light and Darkness magic that ruthlessly assault them both. "Hell Bringing Light."  
>The vortex sent them both flying upward into the air, well above the tower due to the immense power behind the attack. Ceaser was able to recover, however, he didn't have wings like Kairi did. He was now a sitting duck it seemed as Kairi now recovered too. She used her wings to straighten herself up, and then swooped towards the Anubis takeover. In the blink of an eye, she slammed a hard left uppercut to Ceaser's gut. She then followed with a barrage of punches, all infused with light and dark magic. The punches landed all over the face and body of the ancient takeover with no hesitation. As her final blow to end the combination, she reared her right hand back, and palmed Ceaser's face with force. Kairi pushed him into the earth beneath him violently. The back of his head hit first, the rest of his body following as a well sized crater was made. There was a few seconds of awe inspiring silence. Everyone stood well away from the two. That silence was finally broken, as a giant explosion of dark magic towered into the sky. Kairi was spotted flying once again as she looked down at the crater, the smoke filling the giant hole in the ground.<br>"I...I can't even comprehend what's going on..." Luke said as he trembled.  
>"So this is a true takeover fight?" Alexander asked himself. "This is what it looked like back in ancient times? I don't know if Lucifer and Anubis ever fought, but we're getting the best example right now. That is..."<br>Alexander looked back at the smoky crater. "If Ceaser isn't already out.."  
>"One minute left..." Evanee said to herself so she wouldn't alarm everyone else who was too occupied with watching. "This wasn't a good idea. If we can't stop one, how will we stop both of them?"<br>Kairi continued to hover, looking down at the crater. Before the smoke could clear, the ground around the crater began to turn to ash. The mages around the crater continuously backed away to stay away from the ashes. The enormous radius of ashes then began to spin counterclockwise. Once the smoke cleared, Ceaser was seen standing in the eye of the whirlpool of ashes. The grey grains began to rise above him, and with an outward thrust of his arm, the heavily damaged Anubis take over unraveled the whirlpool of ashes, re shaping them into a drill as they hurled towards Kairi. She easily countered by cupping her hands together, then thrusting them forward to fire off another enormous beam of light and dark magic. The two attacks collide, creating yet another shroud. This time, in a blur, Ceaser leaped through it, appearing on the other side and right behind Kairi. She couldn't turn around fast enough, as he grabbed the angel's left wing. Immediately, it began turning into ash. She bared her teeth, and in seconds she freed herself from his grasp by slamming a hard kick to his temple. Ceaser fell to the ground again, but landed on his feet, creating a well sized crater from the impact.  
>"Ceaser!"<br>He looked up, it was Evanee again yelling towards him. "Power down, you have ten seconds left."  
>"Tch..! This was getting exciting too." A magic circle appeared under his feet, but before it could begin spinning, Kairi appeared in front of Ceaser, and grabbed his throat. She slammed him to the ground, and held her free hand like a knife. She jabbed it at his neck, but Ceaser was able to catch it, now in a stalemate if strength. "Shit! I can't power down now...!"<br>"Ceaser!" Evanee yelled.  
>"He can't now!" Rylo added. "If he does, Kairi will kill him in that position."<br>{3...2...1..}  
>At 1, Evanee leaped down, nose diving to the ground, she was far too late as Ceaser stopped moving for an instant, and though nothing seemed to change, everyone could feel a shift in the air. By the time Evanee was able to reach the ground it was too late. Ceaser was gone, and everyone could tell by the smirk that peered out of the hood that covered his face. He grabbed the arm that was gripping his throat, and slowly, Kairi's arm began turning grey with ash. Seething in pain, she immediately pulled away, and Ceaser took the opening, kipping up and slamming a right kick into her abdomen. Kairi goes crashing into the ground, unmoving.<br>"Ceaser! Stop, we're done!"  
>Stop he did, but then he turned towards Evanee herself. She slid into a defensive position, yet she had no means to fight her own guild mate as she slowly backed up with every step he took.<br>"He must be that strong...to make her back away."  
>Kuro turned to the one talking, Elfman. "What do you mean?"<br>"That guy is a man...that Evanee woman came into our guild, and we couldn't land a scratch on her. She wasn't on the defensive at all. But now..." Elfman gulped himself as he looked on. "She doesn't even want to get close to him."  
>Evanee continuously backed away in her stance as Ceaser walked towards her. He held both of his hands out, and in the next second, the ground beneath his hands began turning into the grey grains of ash as she circled around his palms. He gave a devious grin as he stepped closer and closer to the Twilight Zone ace, now holding his right arm out as if trying to reach her. "I don't have a choice.." She said to herself. She then began to build her own magical pressure, but before she could make a move, a puff of white smoke appeared between the two guild mates.<br>"He's here!" Waiston and Jaxon yelled simultaneously. The relief on the faces of White Eclipse appeared like a wave. Everyone else was still cautious of the situation, but the smoke cleared, and with his red scarf flowing eastward with the wind, Sidney Castle, the ace of White Eclipse appeared. He turned to face Ceaser, who grinned back at the slender, white haired male. Ceaser then placed his focus completely on him. Ceaser then reached out for Sidney, but before he could reach him, he disappeared in another cloud of white smoke. The takeover mage looked around in confusion, then finally spotted the ghost mage.  
>Kairi stood up finally, but before she could make a move, Sidney pinned her back down to the ground. With his right hand he clawed into her neck. Within seconds, Kairi drifted off into unconsciousness. Due to this, her body began to glow, and then finally reverted to her original self. Evanee looked on in astonishment with everyone else. "How's he that strong? No...I'm sure he's no stronger than me. He just beat her to the punch. I'm sure that's his plan..."<br>By this time, Ceaser leaped towards Sidney. He reared his ash covered right fist back, and swung it forward. Right before contact, Sidney's body went into a transparent state, causing Ceaser to literally phase right through him. Once again, before Ceaser could turn around, Sidney clawed his hand into his neck, wrestling the Anubis takeover to the ground. Nearly a minute of struggling went by before Ceaser finally passed out as well.  
>"He got them both." Evanee's look of astonishment quietly turned into an excited demeanor. Though she knew now wasn't the time, it was evident that she wanted a fight. This was the second time today she had this feeling, both inappropriate times as the first occurrence was held on the roof when she was trying to free Skye. Rizu had easily subdued her, but she knew she was better than that. And here she stood again, with Sidney knocking out both takeover mages, something she was sure she wasn't going to be able to so. Finally dismissing the thought, she refocused on Sidney as he garnered the attention of everyone around him. "Go home." He stated. "Skye's dead, and everyone who was captured is being released. So go home. Your senseless fights are annoying."<br>"You heard the man!" Siegrain yelled from the roof. "Party is over. Remember what I told you all though. You work for us now, so we'll be in touch soon! Oh and Reve..."  
>Siegrain turned to the gunslinger who was walking away. Reve stopped but didn't turn around. "Let me know when the funeral is, okay?"<br>He stood a bit longer, but then finally moved again as he made his way down the broken tower with Rylo.

.

"The entire guild was there and the council still prevailed?"  
>"Yeah man! Our hero Seigrain and his soldiers easily took down Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, and Twilight Zone!"<br>"That's Siegrain! If Zeref himself can't win, what makes you think some wizards can!?"

Odin stood at the edge of Magnolia with the Fairy Tail. He faced them while they faced the city. "This is your only punishment. You're going to walk through this city, and not touch anyone. Whatever happens to you, no one is held accountable for. I must warn you, they're waiting for you, and the stones they have ready, they're itching to throw. So have fun, and we'll be in contact."  
>"They're gonna stone us..." Romeo said, trembling.<br>"This is low..why are we the only ones being punished?!" Lucy yelled tears already streaming from her face just from the fear of having rocks launched at her with no right to fight back.  
>"It'll be okay.." Erza said, lying through her teeth.<br>"I don't want to do this.." Wendy added.  
>"Either go, or rot in prison, your choice."<br>They all looked back at Odin, and once they faced back towards Magnolia, Natsu was already down the street. "Natsu!" Makarov yelled.  
>"Lets catch up! He's the only target right now!" Gray took off, with the rest of the guild behind Natsu and his exceed who walked beside him.<br>"Natsu..."  
>"Don't worry Happy. It's not a long street. We'll be out soon. Hide under my shirt so you won't get hurt."<br>Happy shook his head. "No, I'll be fine."  
>As soon as Happy finished speaking, it happened. A large stone was hurled, and slammed against Natsu's head. He didn't budge, yet his head was already trickling blood. By this time, the rest of the guild had caught up to him, and the more steps the took down the long road of the main street of Magnolia, the more stones were thrown. People gathered around the sidewalks as they continued to throw. Another well sized stone was launched, aiming right for Levy. She flinched, but as she opened her eyes, Gajeel stood in front of her, now bleeding from his forehead. "Ga..."<br>"Keep walking. I owe you a lot more." He replied to her unfinished sentence as he continued to shield her from the incoming stone projectiles. The more they walked down the street, the more hostile the crowds became, now yelling at the mages with the utmost disrespect.  
>"You're a threat to all of us!"<br>"Wait until we have magic!"  
>"We don't fear you bastards anymore!"<br>Natsu kept his head down, and he was getting the worst of it as he led the group in their trek back home. His head was busted open in several places. Lucy couldn't help but watch in horror as she was being covered along with the rest of the women of Fairy Tail. Another stone to the head later, she couldn't take anymore. "Natsu!" She broke through the shield of mages as she ran up to the front, but as she appeared, another rock came hurling in, and she was in it's direct line of sight. She watched, wide eyed and frozen in place. Before the stone could hit, Natsu quickly grabbed her and stepped in front of the celestial mage. The stone slammed right into the back of his head, opening another gash. The dragon slayer went limp for a second, causing Lucy to hold on to him to keep him up as she failed to contain her tears. A highly bruised Laxus then pulled them both back into the middle, eyeing the man who threw the stone. It was the same big guy who tried to take Lucy in before the entire situation got started. Still, no one could do anything as they continued walking, eventually out of the city as they finally make it to their guild. The atmosphere was as painful as the rocks they had thrown at them. The once prestigious Fairy Tail guild, was now being treated just like criminals.

But in Siegrain's new world.

They were.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: An Evil Resolve. Infiltrate Sorcière Warehouse!

"It's been a month since then. Reve just started talking again, though his sentences are still short. We stopped training like we were before this whole thing started. In fact, I'm not even sure we'll compete this year in the Grand Magic Games. Everyone just seems so, out of spirit.." Kuro huffed out in exhaustion. He was sitting on the snowy ground with his legs folded over. His fire red and orange colored hair wavered in the wind as he stared at the tombstone in front of him. "Right now, it almost seems easier being you, Mary." The red head then looked over to the tombstone beside Mary's, his frown growing deeper as he examined it. "Skye didn't deserve what happened to her. It wasn't Reve's fault, but I don't blame Kairi for leaving either.."

{FlashBack}  
>Everyone was dawned in black attire, some of the guild members sitting around the main room with sorrow etched upon their faces while the others were still slowly filing in. Though their time to pay respect was over, many still shed tears for their lost guild mate, Skye Ravenwood. Reve sat beside Taya, his head sunken into his hands to cover his face. The dark vector mage placed a hand on his spine, consoling the latter by rubbing his back as he let out a few sniffles, yet refusing to actually cry or even shed in front of his family. As everyone walked in, the last one to enter was Kairi. As the angel takeover stepped inside, she made a bee line right for her room, not looking at a single soul as she climbed the stairs. She made it to her door, unlocked it, then stepped inside. Inside her room, was now...nothing. Their were a few suitcases against the wall, but beside that, Kairi's room was completely cleaned out besides the standard furniture that came with it.<br>She took a deep breath, scanning the room once more after she grabbed her two suitcases. She then walked out, placing the luggage down temporarily to close the door behind her. She picked them back up once more, and then inhaled once more before making her way to the top of the stairs. Once she was there, she immediately garnered attention, as everyone looked up to see Kairi holding her luggage.  
>"Kairi?" The curious copy mage called out in question. He stood up, watching her descend down the stairway. "What are you..?"<p>

"You ready?"  
>Everyone looked over towards the gunslinger, who still had his head covered until he finally stood up. He threw his hands in his pockets as he, and Takeru stood up. Takeru took Kairi's luggage, and walked her outside with Reve. Kairi nodded, and then followed the two boys out. Everyone else, stood their in the main room, dumbfounded.<p>

Outside, a carriage waited Kairi. Takeru quickly threw her stuff in the back, then ran towards Reve and the Angel takeover as they stood in front of each other. The shadow dragon now stood next to Reve.  
>"Anything you want to say, before you-"<br>"Stop Reve." Kairi cuts the gunslinger off. She balled her fists as she kept her view on the snowy ground. "I told you on the way home, I just want a clean leave, so please.."  
>"I remember what you said." Reve replied. "But I just want you to know...Skye looked to you as a sister, you know that. She saw us as true siblings over regular guild members. And I just want to say-"<br>"Reve!" Kairi shouted, trying to cut him off again.  
>"I'm sorry for letting the family down.."<br>"..." Kairi lowered her head once more, shaking in her arms as he tightly clenched fists wavered. "I can't forgive you. Not while I'm here. I know you tried..and I'll always be your sister, like Skye wanted; but I just can't forgive you right now. So please...just give me the dismissal speech."  
>Reve nodded. He then placed his hand on his forearm, where his guild insignia was located. From that spot, a magic seal was created, illuminating his tattoo. Suddenly, Kairi's guild mark began glowing as well. She watched in a bit of amazement, snapping out of it as Reve began the recital of the speech. Takeru watched closely as he started.<br>"Though it seems our paths have come to a split, showing that our true goals have a difference, the ride with you was more than average. Being a White Eclipse mage is a great luxury, but it's not the grandest. The greatest luxury is fulfilling your life's dream; and as you leave to continue to follow your dreams, you must remember three things: One, any and all information exclusive to the guild White Eclipse goes with you to the grave. Two, as your guild mark leaves you, know that though we still are friends, you are now competition under the eyes of the three moons. And three, though your guild mark becomes erased, your history here in this guild will be forever imprinted."

"History.." She mumbled to herself. Kairi then quickly flashed back to the highlights of her White Eclipse career. From the first event in the Grand Magic Games, to her fight with Mirajane, and then fighting along side the demon takeover during the apocalypse. The smallest of smiles came across her face as her guild mark disappeared from her person. Takeru stepped in front of her, back beside Reve as they stood inches away from their now former guild mate. "We'll miss you Kairi. I'll miss you, and I don't miss anything. We-"  
>It was the third time Kairi has cut someone off, but this time, it wasn't by words. She stood between the two mages, her opposing arms wrapping around them both as she buried her head between them both. Reve was the next to follow as he wrapped his arms around both Kairi and Takeru. Takeru was soon to follow as well, surprised that Reve was hugging someone, even in this situation. He stayed silent with the rest, until Kairi finally broke the hug. She wiped the wetness from her eyes. "You two know that Skye's death isn't the only reason I'm leaving."<br>They both nodded.  
>"With that being said. When I say, tell everyone I said to be safe. I mean Kuro, Zalen, Heather, Sidney, and Waiston...oh and Master Calium of course."<br>"Heh.. I understand." Reve replied in a shaky voice. Takeru nodded as well. Kairi then sighed, and looked them in the eyes with a feigning smile. "Well..until next time guys.."  
>"Where are you going though?" The shadow dragon slayer asked. Kairi began walking to the carriage, and waved to Takeru without turning around. "To get help." Those were her only words as she hopped in. The carriage then took off, Reve and Tak watching it leave until they could no longer see it.<p>

The flashback changed scenery, back to the aftermath of the battle at the stronghold as Kuro spoke once more. "A few weeks later, we received a letter from Kairi, telling us where she was. It was weird because the next day, Mirajane came by to talk to her, but once we notified her where she was, she immediately walked out. Probably because they were the guild that attacked Fairy Tail. I guess they haven't forgiven Twilight Zone yet."

Kairi and Ceaser were back in their normal forms, on the ship with everyone else as it began to take them home. Ceaser was leaning over the side watching the view as Kairi walked up to him.  
>"Um...hey." She spoke nervously. The cinnamon haired mage turned around, then directed his vision downward to see her in front of him. "Huh? Oh hey shorty. Nice fight! For the five minutes I could remember it that is!" He gave such an innocent smile for two mages that just threatened Fiore and each other with their magic. She stood dumbfounded just from the one sentence. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She said, finally replying. "How...how did you keep control for that long?"<br>"Long? Shorty it was only five minutes."  
>She blinked again. "...You know in a form like that, five minutes is like, a world record right?"<br>Ceaser scratched his head, then stared up to the clouds. "Hm..."  
>He never answered her. His mind wandered off the instant he looked away from Kairi. After a full minute she caught on, and a twitch in her left eye began. "Hey! I asked you a question!"<br>He jolted back to reality. "Huh!? Oh! Um. Sorry, but there's certain information I can't give to other guild members. That includes my training methods."  
>Kairi was about to give up, as she turned around, huffing and walking away from the giant mage.<br>"But!" Kairi stopped in her tracks, now listening to Ceaser's ultimatum.  
>"If you were to join Twilight Zone, I could help you, and you could help me. It seems you're the only takeover in your guild. I am too, but no offense, it seems I have more support in mine. Evanee never spares a moment to help with training, and she's our ace. That means a lot to us. You seem to be alone. So join a group that cares, Kairi."<br>Another dumbfounded look. Wasn't she just talking to an idiot? He just spaced out seconds ago. Kairi hesitated, then nodded without turning around. "We'll be waiting." Ceaser added as the angel takeover walked away, as if he knew she would join them.  
>{End FlashBack.}<p>

Kuro sighed once more. "You see, you're in heaven, peacefully watching hell on EarthLand, Mary."  
>"Kuro!"<br>The fire make mage turned around, only to see Selene waving him down. "You're needed inside, so come on."  
>"I am?" Kuro questioned. He quickly hopped up, and bowed to Mary and Skye's grave, then ran back inside.<p>

He entered the guild, and made his way to the main room where he saw everyone sitting around the table. At the end of the table, was Lahar himself. Kuro blinked, noticing a lot more people than usual. That was because, other guilds were here, standing around. He recognized them all too. At the front of the table he saw Rylo, Taranis and Evanee of Twilight Zone. He looked to the middle of the table, and there he saw Leon, who he didn't recognize, along with Trinity, and Tristan of Black Phoenix. Closer to him, was Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy and Gajeel of Fairy Tail. "What a full house...this could be bad." Kuro whispered.  
>He blinked once more, and then quietly sat down next to Waiston and Luke. Lahar then cleared his throat to start. "Now then, lets begin. Today starts your repaying of your debt to the magic council. If everything goes well, this will be your first and last job for us." Lahar then turned to the side as Doranbolt entered the room, along with two figures beside him. "Reve, Kuro, Taya, Selene, Aira and Luke Cloud. You're going to represent your guild in this mission."<br>"So why am I here?" Sidney asked, making his eerie presence known in the room.  
>"Don't worry. We'll get to you." Lahar replied. "Now then, your mission."<br>Lahar rolled out two rolled up posters. One was a map, the other, a poster of a man. The man had blonde hair, pushed down by a black fedora. His hazel eyes were piercing. Beside him in the picture was a rather tall, taupe colored male. He had black hair, slicked back and in a tail. He held a scar on his head that trailed all the way across. His mucus green eyes staring back at whoever was looking at the poster.  
>Immediately, Rylo's eyes widened, but he lowered them to not draw attention to himself. "This, is Sorcière Warehouse. The most notorious wizard mafia in Fiore are your targets."<br>"You're insane." Reve says, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned back into his chair. He kept a calm demeanor, which did not reflect his words at all. "You want us to fight a mafia? Just kill us now then."  
>"Sounds like we got ourselves a chicken over here don't ya say boy?"<br>Reve quickly sat up in his chair, eyeing the figure that just insulted him. "Don't call me a boy." Reve replied in an angered tone. "I'll blast a hole right through your head."  
>The figure gave out a hearty laugh. "Boy, I'd let you draw your gun, and I'd still beat you to the shot faster than a rabbit than you could even bat an eyelid."<br>Reve raised a brow towards the male. Now that he noticed him, he realized how towering he was. He has blonde hair in a tail that fell to his back. His blue eyes were overlooked by a green marking coming from the corner of his eyes. "And who is this guy, Lahar? Another one of your soldiers?"  
>"I wish." Lahar fixed his glasses back to his face. "Might as well introduce them now. This guy, his name is Mac. He's the guild master of Aurora Pistola. And the guy a bit behind us..." He pointed to the male who was leaning against the wall, arms folded. He has long black hair, his eyes were covered by a straw hat. "Is Satoshi, another guild master. His guild is known as Shaman's Haven. These are temporary allies that we put together for you since you're no longer allowed to work with your previous allies."<br>Mac gave Reve a grin as the gunslinger sat back down.  
>"Now, as I was saying. Your objective isn't to fight them per say. Tomorrow marks Sorcière Warehouse's twentieth annual mafia alliance meeting. That's right, they won't be the only mafia group there." He then points to the man in the fedora. "This man here, is the leader of it all, Kemuri." His father used to run Sorcière Warehouse until he recently died of illness a month ago. Now Kemuri runs it, which means he's still wet behind the ears in knowing the business."<br>"That's what you think.." Rylo thought to himself, uneasily tapping his foot in no certain rhythm. The only person to catch on, was Evanee, yet she doesn't say anything as Lahar continues.  
>"Now, for the objective. Inside of Sorcière Warehouse, is... The same machine we used to extract Skye Ravenwood's magic." Lahar knew what was coming, but everything happened so fast as Reve's chair fell over. In a blink of an eye, he held a rather large gun to his head. Reve...stood in shock as Mac pressed the cannon to his temple. Reve didn't even get his magnum up past his hip.<br>"...Fast." Sidney says to himself. Evanee then replays the situation herself. "He's the real deal alright. That Reve guy was using magic to speed up his draw, and he's not even close to Lahar, yet, Mac requiped the same time Reve did, and he's locked and loaded..."  
>"Put it down, boy." Mac says. Reve stays still, and then finally drops his gun as the other members of White Eclipse watch in awe. Gajeel then spoken to break the tension. "Anyways, continue, you're boring me."<br>"Right, inside their building is the same machine we extracted Skye's magic with, except it's complete. We need one of two things from you. One, destroy the machine. Or two, destroy the machine and find their blueprints.  
>Erza was about to raise a hand, but Evanee immediately looked over to her, shaking her head. For some reason, Erza obliged and lowered her hand. "I know exactly what you're thinkng red head." She said to herself. "And asking that question will ruin things."<br>Erza nodded, as if she could read Evanee's thoughts. "Some of you will be dressed as mafia members. We've given you all aliases to go by, so don't forget them. You'll be posing as a new mafia group that just surfaced exactly four months ago. Reve, you're our 'boss.' Your group name, 'The Underground.'" Minutes passed as Lahar discussed the plans with the guild members, tracing his finger across the map of the area as he explained what was to be done.

"So, are we clear?"  
>"Crystal clear, Seigrain."<br>The Bluenette stood in front of the men in the poster. Kemuri was sitting at the end of a superiorly long table as the man beside him stood, cigar in hand. "It's the least we'z can do for the machine blueprints you let here. I told ya I was gonna pay ya back right? Well we'll get rid of these mages for ya." His thick accent rung through the room. He gave a smirk as he turns to the man beside him. "Aye Tiny. You can show the council leader out now. His stay is overdue ya know?"  
>Siegrain gave a surrendering wave. "No no, it's fine. It's a straight shot, so I'll walk myself out." On his words, he turned and began walking out. Once he left the room, and then the building, he passed the gates of the giant mansion. Ultear was waiting for him, hidden against the brick wall of the gates as she now began walking with him. "As manipulative as always." She said with a grin.<br>"It works out either way. Either those annoying mages win, and I won't have to worry about Sorcière Warehouse anymore. Or the mafia wins and I won't have to worry about Fairy Tail and White Eclipse anymore. Not to mention the impossible mission the Aces are about to attend. It's scary that he's alive, but I should thank him for releasing such a monstrosity."

"This man thinks we're a fool huh Tiny?"  
>"Yeah Junior." He took a long puff and then exhale of his cigar. "I've been in the game too long with your old man. I taught you better than to trust anyone but yourself."<br>"Aye, you and pops did. And since Seigrain tried to play me in my own establishment, we'll play along with his little game. But once we handle the mages, we'll take it to the council, and then take over Fiore itself."

Lahar stood in the room once more, this time, only Evanee, Tristan, Sidney and Erza were in the room with them.  
>"Now..for your missions...we've received a distress call from the town Onibus. At first we ignored it, and only sent a few guards down there to check on what was happening because the call was so unbelievable. So far fetched. But then, only one guard came back alive, and his description was the same as the calls we received. Aces...we have a live demon on our hands."<br>"Demon?" Erza raised a brow. "That can't be, all demons are trapped in Zeref's book, and the only person who has that is.."  
>"You put the pieces together already, how wise of you." Lahar replied. "It can only be the work of Daityas. Now that we've studied this case, it was recollected that he was no where to be found once Zeref and Acnologia were defeated."<br>"So it has to be him." Sidney adds. Lahar nods. "If it is, that means he still has the book, and he's just unleashed a demon upon a city. The city is completely destroyed, yet, it has yet to leave the area for some reason. It's your jobs, to destroy it. Not subdue, destroy."  
>"You really think it's going to take all of us?" Evanee asked.<br>"And you said Aces, so why is Erza here." Tristan added in question. "No offense."  
>"None taken." She replied.<br>"Erza is here because Gildarts is no where to be found. Now, you have your jobs, you'll leave tomorrow as well. Good luck to you all.

You'll need it."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Charity.

Lahar: {You all remember the plan right? You'll be split up into two groups. First of all, thank you Warren of Fairy Tail for providing us with telepathic communication. Now, Group one: Reve, Tayakata, Gray, Lucy, Taranis, Selene, Aira, Trinity, and Luke. Everyone else is in group two. Group one will be our participants of the Mafia Alliance meeting. Once again, it's important that you don't forget your aliases. You're no longer your original names until this mission is over. Do not talk out of character to anyone who isn't part of The Underground. Once you exit the carriage, you'll head through the front door like everyone else, Reve in front. Through the front door, you'll be given a bracelet. That bracelet will cut off all of your magic. This is your first objective. One of you, besides Reve, find the lone person with the key switch to the bracelets. Kemuri has it hidden on one of his thugs. We suspect it to be hidden on his right hand man, Tiny. Reve, your job is to mingle, find out any and all information about anything Sorcière Warehouse. Do not do too much. Just do what you're supposed to.}  
>On cue, their carriage pulled to the long driveway. The carriage had a weird symbol on the side, two shovels crossing each other. Plain, but representative. They stepped out, Reve and Taya first as the valet opened the door. Reve stood in black slacks and a white matching blazer. He adjusted his black tie correctly and smoothed down the back of his now gel styled hair. His eyes were no longer blue, as he wore purple contacts to hide his natural color. Out next, was Taya. She wore an all white dress that stopped well above the knee, hugging her curves tightly. In her left hand she held a small white clutch purse. Her raven colored hair curled down past her shoulders, and her raven colored orbs were now green. The two stood together, signifying them as the leaders of the faux mafia group. The rest fall in line out of carriage in all black. The boys were in standard black suits, while the girls had their own all black attire. The group began walking towards the door, being eyed by anyone outside. "Getting a lot of stares already.." Taya noted, as she walked with Reve, her arm interlocked with his as she ran the other one through her hair, keeping a sassy demeanor that she was to portray at the meeting. "It's probably because we're the new group. Either that or it could be the slime balls picturing you naked, since your dress is already too short to do anything but give them imagination." Reve looked over to her after his comment. Taya did nothing but smirk, Reve mistaking it for her character. "Well, I never got to use it, so this works fine. Besides.." She then turned to the gunslinger as they neared the entrance. "It's just long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep attention so the others can move more freely."<br>Reve curled his lip at the thought, instinctively pulling her closer to him as they reached the door. She grinned at the pull whispering to herself. "He's too easy sometimes." Now at the door, the group waited as the bouncer filed through his clipboard. "Okay...The Underground Mafia. We have, their don, Sebastian...nice name there." Reve scoffed towards the bouncer, but it was ignored as he looked over Taya, and the other girls walking up behind the "leaders."  
>"Maryse?" The bouncer asked, to confirm the name with the face. "First Lady of the Underground right here, big guy." Taya replied, winking once at the bouncer. He gave a smug grin, biting his lip as he examined the females blatantly. Gray huffed in annoyance then thought to himself. "Are they all pigs?" He looked around to confirm his suspicions. Everyone was staring as if they've never seen women before. "What!? Y'all in all male mafia groups or something!?"<br>Gray turned to Lucy in shock, the now brunette haired celestial mage stood in her black dress, about the same lengths as Taya's. She held a hand on her hip, eyes closed as she continued her temporary demeanor. "Boys, I swear! You need a turtle neck just to walk past these Neanderthals!"  
>The bouncer immediately straightened up, respecting the spout from Lucy. "S-Sorry! It's only gonna get worse inside I won't lie. You may all enter after the bracelets are strapped on!" She couldn't help but grin. Her last retort was nothing like her original nature, but Lucy was proud of herself for being able to make someone respect her in such a manner just now. Once the bracelets were on, the group immediately walked in, and dispersed into smaller groups or singles.<br>Gray wandered straight ahead, looking around. He continued to scan the area for anyone who would seem to have a key, until..  
>In front of him, a blue haired waitress holding a tray turned around with a smile. "Fruit, sir?"<br>He froze, then began shaking a bit, taken completely by surprise. "J-J-Juvi-"  
>"Shhh!" Juvia placed her hand over Gray's mouth. "Juvia is undercover to protect Gray-Sama from possible love rivals!"<br>Gray frantically shook his head, but eventually calmed down, remembering his was undercover. Still, he scratched his now dark red hair in a mixture of confusion and fear. "I...just be careful okay?"  
>She nodded with another smile. "You too, Gray-Sama!"<br>"It's Ren for now." He replied with a weary grin. As he began walking off, he was tugged by the collar by a white haired woman. "Hey, you. You seem attractive, so keep me company."  
>"Huh!?" Gray nearly toppled over from her strength as he was tugged by his collar, now being pulled away from the white haired woman. He looked back, and all he could see was a silently enraged Juvia holding the tray. "Hey, slow down! Look!" He finally got her to stop pulling. Then, she turned around, and Gray stood nearly speechless, basically quivering from the person in front of him. "Y-You...!"<p>

Lahar: {Group two: Natsu, Leon, Gajeel, Kuro, Rylo, and apparently Takeru...}  
>"Why did you come along Takeru?" Rylo asked the shadow dragon.<br>"Because, if anyone touches Selene I'll murder them. I don't care about the mission, but I won't jeopardize it. Also..." He looked back to the two mages behind them. "I don't trust new people." His comment caused everyone to turn to the two new mages. Mason Calvot of Shaman's Haven, and Rem Akumu of Aurora Pistola. Mason scoffed. The young male narrowed his eyes towards Takeru. "I'm sixteen you jerk. What can I do to betray the council?" The young male asked. He wasn't very tall. He had copper colored eyes, and black hair covered by a black beanie over his head. The other male, Rem, stayed quiet. He too had black hair along with his raven colored eyes.  
>"I don't know what you're capable of." Takeru replied. "You're here for a reason." Takeru then turned his attention to Natsu. "And this idiot.."<br>Everyone turned to Natsu, who wore his patented scarf...around his head, covering everything but his eyes. "...Nin Nin?" The Salamander said quizzically, holding his hands up in a cliche ninja fashion.  
>"Okay, enough!" Rylo exclaimed in a whisper. "Lets just do what we came here to do!"<br>{Your job, is to infiltrate the mansion from the roof, and search for the chair and the blueprints. Destroy the chair, and retrieve the blueprints. Do not get caught, or it will cause an uproar.}  
>Rylo led the way as they moved together on the roof. To the other side was a vent, and a patrolling guard as well. "I got him." Natsu says as he ignites his fists. Gajeel quickly bumps him on the head with his fist. "This is gonna take stealth you idiot. We need...where did top hat go?" Gajeel and the others looked around, noticing that Rylo was no where to be found. Suddenly, the guard that was patrolling the roof was quickly taken off his feet as his head hit the floor of the roof. Another second later, Rylo reappeared with the spin of a magic seal. He waved over to the others as he began slowly pulling the vent off it's bolts. Gajeel shrugged as Tak led the others towards the magician. "Once I open this vent, we'll be on the fourth floor. I'm going to the left hallway. The rest of you pair up, one group taking the right, the others make their way to the third floor and so on. Once a floor is clear, contact everyone through Warren."<br>"Why are you going alone?" Leon asked curiously. "And how do you know this place so well?" Mason added. Rylo sighed a bit, and then turned his attention back to the vent, pulling it off completely. He then hopped down without answering their questions. "Hey! Shit...well he's leading this side of the operation, so we got no choice." Gajeel huffed at his own words as he followed Rylo down. Behind him, Takeru, then Natsu and Leon, and finally Mason and Rem. Once Gajeel touched down with Takeru, they noticed that Rylo was already gone. "To the right?" Gajeel asked his temporary partner. Takeru simply nodded, and they both took off down the hallway. The others followed, Natsu and Leon leading the rear as they turned at the last second, descending the stairs to the third floor along with Rem and Mason. There, Natsu and Leon would head off to the left, Mason and Rem taking the right hallway.  
>Back on the fourth floor, Rylo crept through the halls until he made his way to the end. There. was a single door. Rylo stared at the door for a bit before moving. "..."<p>

{FlashBack}  
>A young Rylo stood around the corner, peeping around as a young Kemuri was being lectured by his shadowy figure of a father.<br>"Kemuri. What did I tell you about playing around on the top floor?" The deep voice asked him in a stern tone. All Rylo could see was Kemuri with his head lowered in shame as he was being lectured. "Sorry pops." The young boy replied with nothing but fear in his voice. He shook a bit, just noticeable to the untrained eye. "Junior, what have I said? During these hours you address me as Boss. Not pops."  
>Kemuri nodded. "Now, don't come near this door, or this floor again. Do you want me to get robbed? This is where the money goes, you know that. I don't care if he's your friend or not, if that homeless kid takes anything from here-"<br>"He's not a theif!" Kemuri yelled, cutting his father off.  
>"Quiet!" The man retaliated. "Don't you ever interrupt me again! I don't like thieves in my house! As ironic as that sounds, since we make illegal movements all the time, but none here. Stay on the first floor. Do I make myself clear?"<br>As Rylo listened in, he felt a hand pat on his shoulder. He jumped, and then turned around to see Tiny behind him, smoking his usual cigar. "Don't take it personally squirt. There's just some places that some people don't belong; and you in this house is one of them. Boss is being generous by letting you stay on the first, so don't forget that, or you can kiss your friendship with Kemuri goodbye and head to the nearest homeless shelter."  
>Rylo was lost for words, so he shakily nodded, staring at Tiny with worry and fear.<br>{End FlashBack}

"Too bad I am a thief..." Rylo whispered. He then walked towards the door. "Thief magic do your thing." The magician chanted, placing his hand on the locked door. A magic seal appeared, and then began spinning back and forth like a combination lock. Seconds later, the door unlocked and opened. Rylo looked around, and the stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. As he stepped in, he flipped the light switch, the illuminating bulbs filling the room quickly. He walked forward. Straight ahead in this small room was all he wanted. The safe where all the income was kept. He stood in front of the giant safe, taking slow breaths as he looked it over. "I hope you can see me from the grave you asshole, because I'm about to rob you and your son blind."

.

Onibus. The now deserted and destroyed town. Just on the outskirts, hid Sidney, Tristan, Evanee, and Erza. Crouched down, all four of them looked ahead, their target literally sitting in the middle of the city; out in the open.  
>"It's just sitting there." Erza stated. "As Lahar said." Sidney replied.<br>"When should we attack? Lahar said we have to destroy it." Evanee's question didn't get an answer until a few seconds later as Sidney spoke again. "Lets asses the situation and our surroundings first. We're in Onibus, a now deserted town. Completely destroyed. Just like dragons and gods, demons live by an element. We don't know which element this one is yet..."  
>Evanee squinted, focusing on the demon. Though it was sitting, the demon had a towering structure. It was shaped like a bear, it's claws abnormally elongated on it's hands and feet. On it's back, it had two long gray marking trailing from it's shoulders, all the way down to it's calves. The demon don't have a facial structure. Instead, there were two red eyes glowing, as well as a red light coming from where it's mouth was supposed to be. It would appear occasionally, signifying the opening and closing of it's mouth. "Hmm..."<br>Sidney would then continue. "Also, do you know what's not far from here?"  
>Tristan quickly answered. "The mafia alliance meeting."<br>"Right. So when we do attack this thing, if it tries to flee, we can't let it escape southward."  
>"So, no element indication, and we can't let it escape south." Erza nodded. "Well the sooner we attack..."<br>"We will." Sidney says, stopping the requip mage. "But there's something missing. Why hasn't it moved after destroying this town? Does it claim it as it's new home? Or is Daityas controlling it?"  
>As Sidney asked his last question, the demon that was facing away from them, quickly cut his eyes towards the four mages. "Well it looks like we're about to get our answer." Evanee says as she slowly stands up with the rest of them. The demon too arises, now even taller. Well over seven feet it stood, burly in stature. It stared at the four mages, and then let out a loud howl into the air, shaking the area's foundation alone. "Ready yourselves!" Tristan yelled. Everyone took a fighting stance, Erza requiping into her Purgatory Armor. As the demon stopped it's howling into the air, he whipped its head forward, during a vortex of what seems like stones from it's mouth. The mages quickly disperse, the vortex so big that everyone barely escaped. Erza looked back at the hill they recently stood upon, noticing that it no longer existed just from that attack. She gave a "Tch" and then charged forward with the others, never looking back from that point on.<p>

.

{Flashback}  
>The aftermath of the battle on the stronghold. The first captain stayed hidden the entire time, a ways away from the battlefield. Not that he was afraid, no. It was against his will as he now stood, battered and bruised in front of the large male that wore a green mask. "W..why? Why can't I land a hit on you!?" The first captain huffed out in frustration.<br>"You've become a lot stronger. How weird." The male responded.  
>"Stronger?" He gave the mask wearer a pained yet quizzical look. "It'll all be explained shortly, but for now, I need you in the council." The male nodded once, and then began walking away towards the edge of the island. "Wait!" He huffed out. "Who are you? I asked you a question! First Captain Riley asked you a-"<br>"Shut up Tobias." The male replied, cutting the first captain off as he disappeared over the horizon.  
>"Tobias?"<br>{End Flashback}

Gray sat across from her, the white haired female. The placed her head on her palm as she stared back at the Ice maker with a grin. "Amelia huh? That's a nice name." Gray says to break the silence. He folded his arms over his chest as he began to focus within his thoughts. "Is she for real? There's no way anyone would fall for a simple name change. She hasn't changed her appearance at all for a disguise. Does she really believe that's her name? Maybe she thought that enough time has passed that no one would recognize her. If that's the case, what is she doing here? Is she after the chair too?" Gray looked up, examining Amelia once more, who was now waving in front of his face. "Hello!? Are you in there!? I asked your name." She exclaimed. Gray blinked a few times before snapping out of it. "Oh, sorry. I'm Ren. Amelia, tell me about yourself."  
>Amelia leaned back in her seat a bit, raising a brow. "What are you, a councilmen? What's with the third degree?"<br>"No, it's not that!" Gray replied with a frantic wave. "It's just, you remind me of someone is all. So I was interested in knowing more about you is all."  
>"Remind you of someone huh? Sorry, Ren baby, but I like being one of a kind to a person." Amelia grinned as she stood up from the table, dusting off her magma colored dress. She then began walking off. Gray turned as she walked past him, standing out of his seat. "Wait!"<br>Before he could take another step, three well sized males stood in his path. "If the First Lady is done with you, then you're done as well." The bigger one in the middle says as they simultaneously fold their arms over their chest. Gray bared his teeth a bit, but then observed their wrists. And began examining the situation in his head. "...They don't have bracelets.. Only Sorcière Warehouse is allowed to walk freely here. So that means...She's the First Lady of Sorcière Warehouse!? She really doesn't remember who she is!"  
>Before Amelia could walk away completely, a man cuts her off, tapping her on the shoulder. At this time, slow music started playing to entertain the guests. She was intrigued. Gray couldn't make out what was said, but Amelia obliged and took the male's hand. "That guy, looks so familiar." Gray thought to himself. As they walked off, the male turned to face Gray with a cheeky grin. He stood pretty tall and muscular. He had blonde hair, and light blue eyes. That's what was throwing Gray off. As the male turned back forward, Gray noticed the two shovels on his neck, indicating he was from the underground. "What!?" He screamed inside his head. Off instinct he took a step forward, only to be pushed back by the men in front of him. "Look kid, you lost your chance to keep the First Lady company. Get lost!"<br>Gray sneered, but then immediately turned around and walked off to look for Reve and Taya.

[Rewind: Exactly ten minutes ago.]  
>The bouncer in front of the entrance outside shuffled through his clipboard as the same male Gray noticed now stood in front of him. After making his way back to the Underground portion of the guest list, he looked back up to the mysterious male. "Okay, name." The bouncer demanded, just to confirm that he was on the list. The male smirked, taking off his driver's cap to reveal his face from the shadow that hung from the hat. He gave a toothy grin. "My name. Is Dante."<br>"Dante...Yup. You're the last guest of the underground. Why didn't you arrive with your boss and the others?"  
>Dante then began walking past, receiving his bracelet. "I had to park the carriage." He said in a blatantly mysterious tone. He grinned once more, and then continued to walk inside.<br>[Rewind Over.]

Reve and Taya stood together, Reve with his hands in his pockets. Taya stood with her arms folded over as the two conversed together.  
>"We should split up eventually, to find the key switch to the bracelets." Taya suggested. Reve didn't answer for a bit, looking into the crowd of people. He then looked back at Taya, who was already looking at him, waiting for a response. "I guess..." He responded. "If you have any trouble just-"<br>"Guys!"  
>Reve and Taya, as well as the other mages of the faux mafia stopped in their tracks as Gray's voice echoed in their heads. "We have a problem!"<br>"What is it Gray?" Reve replied, looking around until he spotted the ice maker leaning against the east wall. Gray spotted him too and nodded his head over to the north. "Everyone, focus on the white haired female to the north wing."  
>Everyone complied, and as Taya turned to see, off instincts, her pupils shrunk in anger. She bared her teeth, shaking noticeably. "How is she alive...Maggie..!"<br>"Maggie!?" Selene said out loud. She stood next to Aira, now staring northward with the wind mage.  
>"But how?" Aira replied with a question. "Weren't they..?"<br>Taya began walking towards her, only for Reve to grab her and turn her back to him. "Hey! Now isn't the time! We have a job to do! We will figure it out on the way!"  
>"She's standing there plain as day!" Taya exclaimed. Reve began shushing her as they slowly started to draw attention. He then just stared at her, letting Warren's telepathic link help his mind do the talking. "That's the reason why it isn't safe. We don't know what's going on, so relax, and we'll all keep an eye on her."<br>Taya took in a deep breath, giving a frustrating huff as an exhale. "Right, we'll figure it out." She nodded, and Reve did the same with an assuring smile, until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up, and noticed Tiny standing behind him. "Everything okay here?" Tiny asked. Reve looked at his shoulder in annoyance, then back at the first hand male to Kemuri. "Yeah, everything's good. The First Lady was just a bit loud."  
>"Tch!"<br>Tiny grinned, pulling the cigar from his mouth. "Well I'm glad everything is okay. Anyways, Kemuri would like to speak to you now, Sebastian. Don't worry, it's a traditional thing."  
>Reve slowly nodded, and walked along with Tiny through the northern gate, right past Maggie and "Dante."<br>Taya stood alone for a second, and a second was all it took for her to feel a hand placed upon the small of her back. She remained calm, but on the inside, she was ready to mutilate the person touching her. "Hey gorgeous, since your boss man is busy, how about you let me..'entertain' you?" Taya turned to see that random Neanderthal of a mafia member, but before she could react, she noticed something on his wrist. It was the key switch. She grinned after reassuring it was, then huffed once more from basically being felt upon by the unattractive stranger. "Oh? Why don't we sit and talk then, eh?" Taya replied with a sly grin. The male smirked as well, then led them both to a table, his hand still on the small of her back. Selene snickered as she watched. "Poor Taya, but it must mean she has something, so be ready Aira. Aira?" Selene looked around, only to spot the now purple haired wind mage surrounded by a group of thugs with Lucy. Aira stood there with a sweat drop as Lucy's forehead vein slowly began to throb. Selene dug her face into her right hand. As she pulled it away, she noticed Taranis quietly moving around the westward wing. "Hm.." Selene then walked the opposite way, getting nothing but stares as the now red headed diamond dragon slayer moved on. Hearing the occasional whistle and wolf howl, she started an eye twitch of her own. "Find that stupid key switch to these things. Gah I hate you pigs."

Maggie was found with Dante, waltzing around the northern area of the main room. Dante kept a grin on his face as he held her hand in his. Maggie returned the gesture. "For some reason, this feels familiar. I can't put my finger on it though." She said with a genuine smile. Dante was now receiving looks from every thug in Sorcières Warehouse, but ignored them all completely. He smiled towards her once more as they spun. "So tell me, Dante was it? Have you ever met a girl like me? The last guy I was talking to me basically told me I wasn't special."  
>Dante laughed. "You haven't changed a bit..." He whispered. Maggie raised a brow. "Huh?"<br>He shook his head. "You're asking if I've ever met anyone like you? Well, yes and no. Yes I've met someone like you before, but, no...because you are that person."  
>She was now utterly confused. "I...you're making no sense there stud. Talk some English alright?"<br>"Tell you what." Dante released Maggie, then gave another smirk. "Meet me on the second floor, and it'll all make sense."  
>Now flustered at his request, the now crimson faced Maggie, who still believed herself to be Amelia, turned around to the leaving Dante. "If you think I'm that easy..!"<br>He didn't respond, so she just watched him walk away, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Men."

"Have a seat." Tiny pointed to the lone chair at the end of a long table. Reve took his seat, and as he did, six men stepped out from behind the pillars. Before Reve could react, one one of them had a right grip on his shoulders. "I wouldn't move if I were you'z." Reve looked up to see Kemuri enter the room from the other side. He fixed his fedora, then took a puff from the cigar dangling from his mouth. He began a methodical pace towards Reve as he exhaled the smoke from his mouth. "Well now, Mr. Sebastian. Even though that's not your real name." Kemuri smirked as his own comment as he now stood next to the gunslinger. "I bet you didn't know that we knew you guys were phonies all along huh?" Reve elected not to answer. Instead he narrowed his eyes as Kemuri blew a cloud of smoke into his face. Kemuri then began to pace around Reve. "You clowns think that just because I'm a young one, I don't know how to run something, so you think you can waltz in here, and shut me down!? Oh you're sadly mistaken kid. I know Seigrain has you and that group of yours on some undercover mission. You're looking for the chair right?"  
>Reve didn't answer, so as punishment, he received a right hook to the jaw, causing his head to snap to the side. Tiny rubbed his fist with a calm expression. "He asked you a question."<br>Kemuri placed his hand in front of Tiny. "Heh, it's okay Tiny. I got it." Kemuri then pointed to one of the six men. He wore a tacky green suit and red bow tie. "Trey." Kemuri said, and he reacted. A magic seal appeared under the chair Reve sat in. Immediately, Reve was now cuffed down to the chair, the same way Skye was as the chair began to change shape until a much bigger piece. "You're looking for the chair there chief? Well guess what?

You've found it."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Their Own Objectives.

"Meet me on the second floor, and it'll all make sense."  
>"Dante's words rung through the ears of Maggie as she now sat alone, staring at the table in front of her. With her chin in her hand, she was lost in thoughts, until finally, Luke Cloud and Taranis walked up to her, Taranis not stopping as he walked past the female. She looked up, and cocked a brow towards the somewhat stunned copy mage. "It is her.." Luke thought to himself. "But..."<br>"What ya looking at?" Maggie retorted. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "You've come here to mess with my head too?"  
>Her comments stunned Luke even more. "She really doesn't know. This has to be the effects of the spell he used back during the apocalypse. That means, all of Tartaros is still alive somewhere, right? Arc..."<br>Luke then spoke towards Maggie. "Miss Amelia right? I'm a big fan of Sorcière Warehouse. You do a marvelous job in your work."  
>Maggie sneered. "Cut the flattery. I don't do anything but spend the money Kemuri makes." She stood from her seat, and began walking past the now blonde haired male. "Leave me alone, I'm busy right now."<br>Luke nodded as he went back into his thoughts. "It's dangerous for her to be alive, let alone here. But it seems something is blocking her memory. I wander if Warren knows anything about that?"

.

The four mages slid in opposite directions away from the demon. It stood it's ground, cutting it's eyes back and forth to keep it's mark on it's new targets. Evanee was up first as she charged the demonic being. As Evanee neared it, stones began to form around the demon's left arm. Evanee slid into melee range, and fired a hard right hook; a right hook that was easily parried by the stone arm. She clenched her teeth from the painful stalemate. The demon then reared it's arm back, and fired it straight down, looking to smash the Ace of Twilight Zone to the ground. Evanee quickly cuts a backflip to dodge the blow. Once finishing the flip, she found herself standing in a small crater that was created from the stone fist. She crouched quickly to avoid an incoming horizontal swing for her head. She spotted an opening, and then slammed an elbow into the demon's abdomen. The grin she held on her face quickly turned into one of shock as the demon stood unaffected. It quickly grabbed Evanee by her right shoulder, the strength of it's grip causing her to wince. Lifting the ace off her feet, the stone demon then opened it's mouth, an accumulation of stones forming within it. Evanee tried to struggle out, but it was to no avail. Before the demon could fire however, Tristan slid between them both in his steel make stance. "Steel-make: Morning Star!" In his hands, formed a pole with a giant ball at the end; the ball covered with large spikes. Tristan quickly gained momentum, and then slammed the spiked ball into the chin of the demon, forcing it's mouth shut and the release of Evanee. As the vortex that the demon was about to fire explodes in it's mouth, Evanee leaps away a great deal, the opposite way of Tristan to avoid the radius of the explosion. She landed next to Sidney who was now giving her a stare.  
>"...You better be stronger than that." Sidney stated. Evanee turned her attention to the ghost mage. "Excuse me?"<br>"If you're holding back, stop it. If not, go home, because that demon was about to kill you."  
>Angered, Evanee opened her mouth to speak, yet before she could, Sidney disappeared in a puff of white smoke. As the demon stood in the middle of the clearing debris and smoke from his own attack, Sidney appeared in front of it. The demon's attention was now on Sidney. It reared it's stone covered arm back, and swung it towards the ace of White Eclipse. A magic seal appeared under Sidney, and before the fist could connect, Sidney takes on a transparent form, causing the stone fist to pass right through him. Sidney then rears back his ow right fist, and crouches. Once back in plain sight, Sidney fired a hard uppercut to the demon's chin, causing it to teeter backwards a few steps. While it was teetering, Tristan appeared behind it along with Erza. He swung his Morning Star once again, this time jumping into the air, just over the demon. Erza held her giant black sword that she usually used with her purgatory armor, and swung the sword against the back of the demon's legs. Tristan complimented her attack by adding a swinging Morning Star to the face of the demon as well, knocking it of it's feet as it slammed hard into the ground. Not to be outdone, Evanee leaped high into the air. "Dark Ray!" She then fires a powerful ray of Darkness Magic from her hand towards the demon, causing a well sized explosion of dark magic upon impact. With a smirk on her face, Evanee landed next to Sidney once again as they all waited for the aftermath of their attacks. "...!" Erza's eyes widened as the demon stood once again, it's body completely covered in stones.<br>"We're gonna be here a while." Tristan says as his Morning Star disappears.  
>"That's fine." Sidney replied. "As long as we get the job done."<br>Evanee glared towards the demon, who cut it's eyes back towards her. She was the last one to attack it, so it's focus was now on the nymph mage. The two beings exchanged glares, until Evanee nodded once, causing the demon to turn to her completely. "Let me give it a shot, alone."  
>"Are you insane?" Erza asked her. "It's taking all four of us to-"<br>"Let her do it." Sidney says as he cuts Erza off. "It's her funeral if she loses."  
>Evanee grins, dismissing the last comment as she stepped towards the demon. It returned the grin with a low growl of it's own. Evanee then whispered to herself. "I'm not holding back, you're the ones holding me back."<p>

.

Back in the top floor's safe room, Rylo stood in a now empty room. The only thing left inside was a few tied up bags. "Thank the gods for my assistant." The magician says as she appeared, standing in a long red dress. She wore red gloves that slid all the way down to her elbows and red heels on her feet. She was a manifestation from pure Slight of Hand magic. An original creation mage by Rylo himself; his assistant. She grabbed a bag full of money and disappeared, only to reappear again empty handed. Rylo watched with content as she repeated this process until all the bags were gone. Once they were, his assistant bowed, and then took her leave, vanishing into nothing. Rylo then took a look around the empty room with a grin. "Okay, now back to the mission." He stated. He then opened the door slowly, and once noted that the coast was clear, began making his way down the hallway. "So far so good. Hopefully no ones been caught yet." On cue, Rylo nearly loses his footing from the rumble of a small explosion below him. "What the!?"

A floor below, Leon and Natsu stood in front of some thugs who were now on the floor unconscious. Leon then turned to Natsu, agitated. "Idiot! Your attacks are too loud! I said subdue them!"  
>Natsu then pointed to the hole in the wall next to him as he raised his voice, yelling past his scarf that covered his mouth. "Says the guy who burned through the wall with his acid! Who knows who heard us now!" The two bumped heads, snarling until Leon finally backed up, snapping out of his quarrel with Natsu. "Lets get out of here before we're spotted." Still huffing a bit, Natsu nodded. "Aye. The chair isn't here anyways."<p>

Down on the second floor, a few thugs could feel the quake above them. Immediately they looked at each other. "You check it out, I'll warn the boss." The bigger one suggested. The smaller one nodded and began running up the stairs. They both knew that no one was allowed past the first floor and their instructions were to notify Kemuri or Tiny the minute anything suspicious went on. The smaller of the thugs began running up the stairs, and halfway up, he spotted Natsu and Leon, who also saw the thug as well. All three of them stopped, blinking at one another in the awkward moment. He didn't expect Natsu Dragneel to be in front of him. Natsu and Leon were merely reacting to the thugs action. He tried to turn and run, but Leon quickly cut the thug off. The thug turned around once more, only to run into a Natsu head butt, ko'ing him instantly. "I'm sure we've been spotted by now." Natsu says.  
>"What gave it away?" Leon replied with the utmost sarcasm. Still, Natsu replied. "The guy coming up the stairs."<br>Leon cut his eyes towards the Salamander, and then shook his head. He then began jogging down the stairway to the second floor, Natsu right behind him.

"I just thought about something." Gajeel says as he folds his arms.  
>"What's that?" Takeru replies as he peers around the corner to see if anyone was in the way of their next destination.<br>"Why are we looking for blueprints? We should just leave that alone. If the council gets them, then more people will have their magic copied just like that Skye girl."  
>"I wasn't looking for blueprints anyways." Takeru says as the two quietly slide against the wall, making their way to the next door. "If I see the chair, I'll destroy it. After that, we're done right?"<br>Gajeel nodded. "Yeah." Following Takeru, Gajeel kept moving until the two dragon slayers entered the next door; another empty bedroom. "How many bed rooms does this guy have?" Takeru asked. He then shuts the door, and the two keep moving silently.

Back downstairs, Taya reluctantly sat with the unattractive male who had the key switch on him. The two sat alone at a table away from the crowd yet still in plain sight. Taya looked up to see Selene in her sights, giving her a quizzical look. Ignoring the talkative thug in front of her, Taya then contacted Warren to reach Selene. "I found the key switch. It's with this guy I'm talking to. I need a distraction so no one will notice him disappearing."  
>Selene nodded from her position, and looked around to see what she could do. Just then, Lucy began walking by her, sighing. Her eyes were closed as she huffed out her annoyance. "I just want to leave now. We've been here way too long." The celestial mage stated. Just then, a dark grin came across Selene's face, and as Lucy passed her, she stuck her foot out in her path at the last second, causing Lucy to trip. Immediately her eyes widened as began falling forward. "Careful!" Selene yelled as she feigned a reach for Lucy. What she really did, was take her index finger, hooking around the strap of her dress on the right shoulder.<br>"Tch, I saw that Selene." Gray huffs to himself as Lucy was now seen on the ground after a loud thud. He then looked towards where Lucy fell, spotting the celestial mage on her rear. Gray froze, as did everyone else in the room as they turned their attention towards Lucy.  
>"Ow..." Lucy whimpers as she rubs her lower back in pain. She then looks up to see a sea of thugs staring her way. "What's everyone looking at?" She asked. She then looked over towards Selene, who stared as well, except in a different kind of shock. "I didn't want it to go down that far.." Selene mumbled. Luke's eyes widened as well, staring in disbelief.<br>"What?" Lucy looked down, now noticing her exposed chest just sitting in her bra. Her face turned a complete red as she let out an extremely loud scream of embarrassment, trying to cover herself in the process. "Hey there!"  
>"Move out the way! Help her up!"<br>Quickly, Lucy was surrounded by thugs, backing away as they mindlessly cornered her.  
>"Love...rival...! She did that for Gray-Sama!" Juvia shouted. Fortunately, everyone was fixated on Lucy that no one but the ice maker heard her. Gray sweat dropped. "No...she didn't."<br>On the other side, Taya took note of the distraction, taking the time to grin at Lucy's disposition before turning to the thug in front of her. "Hey." She said, cutting off his rambling. "Why don't we, take this conversation to a more private area?" Her seductive tone caused him to grin. "Don't mind if we do, doll face." The thug replied. They both stood from their table, walking down the hallway, away from the unsuspecting crowd. As the walked down the hallway, the thug once again had his hand on the small of Taya's spine, causing her to internally shiver in disgust. "This way~" she sung to him, opening the random room. He followed behind her with an excited nature, closing the door behind him. Seconds later...Taya walked back out, stuffing the key switch in her clutch before shutting the door behind her. She then grinned as she walked back into the main room, the bracelet no longer on her wrist. "He didn't last long."

Second floor, Natsu stopped dead in his tracks as he heard the scream, just barely through all the closed door that led to the first floor staircase. "That was Lucy.."  
>Leon stopped as well. "...Don't even think about it. We don't know what could of happened-" Before Leon could finish negotiation, Natsu took off at a determined speed. "Natsu!" Leon yelled, but to no avail as The Salamander turned the corner to head for the stairwell. In front of him were a group of thugs in the way. They turned to him in surprise. "How did you get up here!?"<br>"Never mind that! Get him!"  
>"Out of my way!" Natsu yelled, rearing his right fist backwards. He then followed through, firing a wave of his fire dragon slaying magic. He nearly destroyed the entire hallways, knocking each thug out the way and unconscious. Natsu began running once again, only to have Leon grab him by the back of his collar, slamming him into the ground. Once the smoke cleared, Leon held the angered Natsu down, snarling in annoyance. "I said stop! We don't know what's going on down there! It could of been something innocent!"<br>"I don't want to wait and find out!" Natsu yelled back. "So let me go!"  
>Clenching his teeth, Leon spouted once more. "Dummy! You've already jeopardized this mission! Doesn't you guild teach you anything about priorities!"<br>"Yes!" Natsu replied. "Obviously yours doesn't! Who puts their friends over a mission!"  
>He froze for a second, his grip loosening from Natsu's words, but before Natsu could escape he tightened his grip again. "Don't do that again..." The acid dragon slayer said in an ominous tone.<br>"I'm going to! Until I get free I'll fight you off!"  
>"That's not what I meant.." Natsu looked over after Leon responded, seeing a completely different demeanor on him. "Don't question my guild's priorities again." He then glared towards Natsu, his hair covering on eye as the other pierced through The Salamander's soul it felt like. "We aren't weak like your guild. We've never had to worry about one another because we know our guild mates can handle it, so watch what you say. Things like that really get me angry, and acid and rage don't go together."<br>Natsu stopped moving, only to return his own glare towards Leon, the intense moment broken up by an incoming line of thugs running their way. "There they are! Don't let them escape." They both stood up, giving each other one last glare before readying for a fight.

Back on the first floor, Kemuri sat across from a restrained Reve, who was surrounded by Kemuri's best men, including his right hand, Tiny. Kemuri sat there, leaning his head on his folded hands. "So...you're here for the chair of course, because Siegrain sent you on such a mission. Such a suicidal one. That clown doesn't know who he's messing with."  
>Reve curled his lip in disgust. "I don't know where you got such information from. I didn't say anything about Siegrain or the council for that matter. I came here to destroy it because those reckless idiots killed someone close to me with theirs. No one should have one."<br>Kemuri paused for a bit, and then waved the gunslinger off. "Come off it you shit. That may be true, but we know you and your posse are working for the council. Since Siegrain came here and warned us himself."  
>Reve's eyes widened for a quick second, retracting the next to try and hide it. "I should of known something like that from him would happen." He thought to himself.<br>As he was in thought, Tiny appeared back to Kemuri's side, handing him a file. "So this is an open and shut case huh? All you want, is what you're sitting in right now. Tell me, how much do you think guns requip magic will go for once it's been turned into lacrima, Reve Volver?"  
>"How did you?"<br>Kemuri laughed at the stunned mage. "You're with the big boys now fella! This is Sorcière Warehouse! You think this was built off of one trade? There's nothing we don't have, hold, or borrow in Fiore!" Kemuri then turned to one of his other men, a fair height man with maroon colored hair. "What do you say Rocky? How much for such a rare magic?"  
>He began pondering to himself, holding up fingers as he calculated. "I'd say about fifty million a pop boss."<br>Kemuri let out a low whistle. "You can shoot me over the top with those numbers Volver."  
>Before he could continue, the thug from the first floor quickly ran inside the room, shutting the door behind him. "Boss!"<br>Kemuri held a hand out. "Let me guess. Intruders?"  
>Tiny then interrupted. "No time to be so slack, Junior. Everyone, spread out on the floors and find them. Don't let them on the first floor, it'll cause the I the mobs to panic since they can't use magic."<br>"Right sir!" With that, the six men in the room exited. Kemuri turned his attention back to Reve. "You sit there for a while, while I make sure everything is going smoothly alright?" Kemuri then pushed Reve's face as he walked by, exiting along with Tiny, back to the party.

"First things first." Taya says to herself as she began walking to her closest partners for this mission, Trinity and Taranis. "To get the bracelets off." Before she took another step, she saw the doors Reve went through open, six men filing out and then up the main stairs. She held her wrists behind her back to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a bracelet as they passed. After them, Kemuri and Tiny walked out as well. As Kemuri made his way around the room, mingling, Tiny made a direct line for the dark vector mage. "Tch." She scoffed to herself before he could arrive to hear. Once there, the right hand gave her a grin. "How is everything miss?" Tiny asked. Taya gave a half hearted smile and a shrug of the shoulders. "Just another get together you know? When's the meeting going to actually commence?"  
>Tiny chuckled a bit. "You know how the boss is. He wants everything to be perfect, and we've ran into some technical difficulties with our...presentation."<br>Taya read him like a book; or did she? It was painfully obvious what Tiny was talking about, and Taya knew, but she could tell that it seemed too easy. "What's he getting at?" She asked herself. "So is our boss still with you guys?" She asked in response to his statement. Tiny nodded. "He said he had to use the men's room, so we pointed him to the closest one." With that, he turned and began walking away, only to look back once more. "Enjoy your time with others until then."

.

She started with a slow, tmethodical walk, the demon mirroring her steps as they glued their direct line of vision to each other. "She does seem different now, now that she's alone." Tristan says as he folds his arms. "Still." Erza adds. "I can't believe in such a serious mission, we're allowing her to take it on by herself.  
>"Well that's the difference between us and you, no offense."<br>Erza quirked a brow at Tristan's statement. "What do you mean?"  
>"It's simple. One thing Black Phoenix and Twilight Zone have in common is, that even though we love our family, we understand the importance of self."<br>"The importance of self?" Erza blinked, confused by his words.  
>"The importance of self. It's one thing to call on your family when you're in trouble, but it's a completely different thing to continuously use them for strength. Even if they are family, borrowing someone else's strength will never compensate for not having enough of your own. Everyone's potential is limitless, but you can't even begin to explore such limits without trying on your own. We all have different paths, and to borrow someone else's strength continuously is to veer off your own path. It's almost as if you want to be them, when you're supposed to be yourself. Ultimately, the power of nakama is great, but it's a scapegoat that a lot of guilds get wrapped into, causing them to forget their own abilities and potential. In the end, it causes them to perform a phantom fight, subconsciously losing on purpose, no matter the level of threat, just so he or she can call upon their friends will for assistance. That's where we differ." Tristan then raised his voice a bit for Sidney to hear in case he wasn't listening. "White Eclipse used to be like us, until they met you guys."<br>Erza stared at Tristan, his words hitting deep as she gave a lost expression. She then lowered her head, covering her eyes as she gave but a simple whimper. "None of that is true..."  
>Before Tristan could respond again, the fight was underway. Evanee and the stone demon were in a tie up, the ground breaking under them as neither side planned on backing down. Once a crater was formed, Evanee released her left hand, causing the demon to teeter forward from it's own momentum. With her free hand, she slammed a roaring uppercut to it's jaw. Now teetering backwards, the demon attempted to throw Evanee around with it's left hand still connected to her right. It was able to lift her off the ground, but as it slung her away, she quickly recovered into a flip, landing on the ground and leaving a footprint sized crater before taking off once again. "Turris Inferno." By slamming her fist against the ground, Evanee summoned forth several towers of a darkened rock that surrounded the stone demon. The blood red cores of each pillar drew in magical energy from below, and focused it into concentrated beams. The beams then fired one by one towards the demon. It tried to block the first one with its stone arms, only for the beams to knock it off it's feet. The demon tumbled until kipping back up to it's feet. It then new not to touch the others as it rushes towards the nymph mage, dodging the other beams in the process. Once it was close, the stones on it's arms broke off, and the fired towards Evanee. With a cocky smirk, she merely swayed away from the seemingly endless barrage, putting on a show for the other mages.<br>"She does seen a lot better...a lot stronger than when we attacked together." Erza began shaking her head frantically, causing Tristan to smirk. "That's not right... This goes against everything I've learned. No one's stronger when fighting alone!"  
>Dodging one last projectile, Evanee ducked and then lunged forward and upward towards the head of the demon. She quickly covered the space, and in a flash, she was in front of it with another smirk. "Constellational Stream." All in the span of a second, she lifted her hands into the air, gathering a summation of magic at her palms. Evanee then fires a highly concentrated and powerful beam of light energy at point blank range to the head, the beam consuming the demon whole as it traveled into the nearest broken building.<br>"R-ruthless!" Tristan said, caught off guard by the attack. Erza too watched with wide eyes as Sidney merely nodded in appreciation. Evanee landed on her feet, and then turned her head back towards Sidney. "Strong enough?" She asked rhetorically. Such smug statements never bothered Sidney, but Evanee took it as a win anyways, until...  
>From the point of impact, the remainder of the stone building the beam crashed into began to fall. Once it fell, noises of stones breaking was still being heard even though the building was completely ruined. Everyone looked over to the clouded area. "There's no way it survived.." Evanee says as she looked on.<br>"Not only did it survive! It's eating!" Tristan yelled. "How did we forget such a thing!?" Erza exclaimed. The smoke cleared, and the demon picked up one more chunk of stone, gulping it down easily. Suddenly, it bulked up a bit as it's major wounds seemed to disappear. It stood still for a few seconds.  
>"...Shit!" Sidney then turned back to Evanee. "Move!"<br>"Huh?" Evanee was completely off guard as the stone demon appeared in front of her in a blur, now towering over her as she stood there off balance. With it's stone covered arm, these stones bigger than the last, the demon swung straight down, crashing it's fist on the top of the nymph mage's head, causing Erza to shake in fear and shock as Evanee crashed head first into the ground, being violently sandwiched by the unforgiving ground and the stone fist.

.

Rem and Mason were still on the third floor. Inside the room at the end hallway, the two ventured through the dark space that was an office. "You sure this is it?" Rem asked the mischief mage. Mason nodded. "I'm sure. The top floor is too obvious." Rem nodded in agreement as they shuffled through the desk drawers and cabinets. After a few minutes of rummaging, Mason triumphantly held the roll of blueprints over his head. "Told ya!"  
>Rem looked over, grinning at the find. He then placed two fingers to his temples. "Warren, tell Lahar we found the blueprints. All that's left is the chair."<br>"Right!" Warren exclaimed, easily relaying the message to Lahar. Lahar then replied back through Warren. "Good! Now all you have to do is find and destroy the chair.  
>Stay hidden however, until Tayakata and the others are free to use magic again. You're still lacking in numbers."<br>"Yeah, about that." Mason said with a sheepish grin. "I'm pretty sure Natsu already notified everyone that we were here.."  
>Lahar gave a long sigh. "...I'm not surprised.."<p>

"She was able to slide in the room before Natsu and Leon began wreaking havoc on the second floor. Though she saw the whole thing, her mind was completely fixated on what the supposed Dante said to her earlier. "I'm here. This better not be some game to get me alone. You men are nothing but pigs after all." "But my dear Maggie." He said as he music from a piano began playing. Dante was the one playing, sitting in front of the moonlit window. At first what was a random press of the keys, turned into an actual melody. One that rung familiar in her ears. "That's exactly why I called you here. Just so we can be alone."  
>"That melody.. It almost sounds familiar...but why do you keep calling me Maggie?"<br>Dante gives a genuine smile, keeping his vision forward as he kept playing. "You love this melody Maggie. I remember you used to say sometimes when we were younger. 'Play The Bolero of Fire, it's the only one I like.' Heh.." He lifted his head up some as he began getting into the melody. "I remember you wouldn't even let Rugal touch the piano, because when you asked him to play it, he would always mess it up. You even tried to teach Sora just so you could listen to it whenever you wanted. She always did what you and Kiora wanted..."  
>"Rugal...Sora...Kiora..?" Maggie stood near the door with a blank visage. "Everything sounds familiar, yet so foreign..."<br>"But you know who played this for you the best? That damned Taya." He chuckled a bit at his statement. "She had the magic touch for some reason when it came to your favorite melody. How she did it, I have no clue. I was a close second though."  
>"Taya..? Okay, who are you!?"<br>Maggie yelled in question. Upon her question, he stopped playing, and closed the piano. "You're asking the wrong question. Who are /you?/ That's what you want to know." He rose from his seat, slowly walking towards her as she backed to the door, he back now against it as she hesitantly spoke. "I..I know who I am..! My name is Amelia! I am-"  
>"Amelia who?" He asked, drawing<br>ever so closer. "D-don't interrupt me! I'm the first lady of Sorcière Warehouse! I can have your life ended in seconds!"  
>As Dante came closer, his hair started to change colors, as if a spell was holding it up. From blonde to black, as his eyes turned from blue to raven as well. He then reached for Maggie, slowly as he grinned. "It's time to come home.<p>

Maggie."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Strings Attached.

"Let all your troubles escape you." He grinned, placing an index finger on her head, right between her eyes. In his left hand, from his back pocket he pulled out a book, now holding it open as he softly chanted a few words.  
>"What..." She spoke in a weakened tone.<br>Daityas then removed his finger, a small black magic seal appearing where his finger once was. "Look at you. This isn't Maggie at all. Why is your hair up?" He then reached for the pins in her hair, slowly pulling them out as her white hair fell to her shoulders. "There."  
>She stood there, in a trance like state the magic seal began to spin. "We have a long road ahead of us Maggie, but the longer lava stays dormant, the stronger it becomes right? So who knows what you're capable of now. Well, I know, and everyone in the building will soon find out."<p>

Gray began rotating his wrist, now free of the bracelet that restrained him. The group stood around Taya as she unlocked Luke's, the next to last one who was constricted by the bracelets. "That's everybody but Lucy and Reve right?" Taya asked. Everyone looked around and nodded. "I can tell this situation is is more dangerous than it seems now. Reve is beyond those doors. My guess is that they know we're fakes, and they captured him. Only reason we're free is because the boss doesn't want to start a riot."  
>"So what's the plan?" Gray asked.<br>Taya then nodded once. "Gray, you and the boys stay within the room for now. Keep your sleeves up so they don't realize that your bracelets are missing. Aira and Selene, with me." She then tosses the key switch to Gray. "Once Lucy is free from the dogs, unlock her's and then join us. We're headed for Reve. And by the way, no matter who attacks us, don't help."  
>Gray raised a brow, but in the end, he and the others nodded in aggreement. "I have someone who can help as well... She wasn't supposed to come but..." Gray sighed, and then looked behind him, already knowing where she was. She was facing the other way, but she was well aware of what was going on. "Juvia.."<br>"Juvia is here to help!" She said enthusiastically, dropping the tray she carried on the nearest table.  
>"It's going to be hard to fight in a dress." Aira stated as the four females began walking to the door. Selene nodded.<br>"It's only until we find Reve. We'll find time to change afterwards."  
>Selene looked over towards Taya after the statement. "You're winging this aren't you?" Taya merely grinned as they continued walking.<br>"Hey!" A thug turned around, causing the others to as well. "You can't go in there, we all have to wait." Taya merely waved the man off, causing him to lose his short temper. "No woman is gonna disregard me!" He quickly walked over, grabbing the dark vector mage he the shoulder. Once touched, Taya gave a dark smirk, and a magic seal appeared under the thug. From the seal, two vectors shot upward in a clockwise spin, lifting the thug into the air and against the ceiling. He fell unconscious, causing a thud back to the ground. This caused the entire room to turn towards the commotion. With everyone distracted, Gray slid past the crowd and unlocked Lucy's bracelet. "Thanks!" The celestial blonde stated to the ice maker as he helped her away from the crowd. Gray then called for Taya, and tossed the switch over; the dark vector mage catching it before turning back to the door.  
>On the other side of the room, Tiny and Kemuri watched quietly. They foresaw this coming, but what they didn't put into account was them finding the key to the bracelet so fast and taking it. "Your move junior. It's still a chess game, but it's getting a bit hostile now. You're backed into a corner. Those pawns are cornering ya right now. You'z need to make a move and soon before they checkmate ya, but it better be the right one, or you'z gonna make a fatal mistake." Tiny looked over to Kemuri, who bared his teeth in annoyance for a few seconds. He then calmed down, giving a smirk. "Let em have it. Worst case scenario, we have the blueprints that idiot council leader left."<br>Tiny shook his head. "Junior, why do you think there are mages upstairs? Just to cause chaos within your estate huh?"  
>Kemuri looked to Tiny. A few seconds later it hit. His eyes widened. "They were after the blueprints the whole time!?"<br>Tiny nodded twice. "Now, lets not panic. We know you'z can take them all down alone, but lets think here. Put in the worst case scenario."  
>"They've found the blueprints, and now they're going after the chair." Kemuri recited, as if he actually knew. "So our new focus is stopping these worms from destroying our golden ticket to the top."<br>"Right." Tiny nodded once more. "And how do you plan on doing that with your best men on the second floor and higher?"  
>Kemuri pondered..running out of time as Taya opened the door to the other room. "Use the other mafia's best men? At least for a distraction?"<br>"..I can't hold your hand forever junior. The women of the so called Underground no longer have magic restraints as you saw. That means the guys don't either. I'm sure you'z got it from here." Tiny replied. Kemuri gave a scoff at his tone, and then aimed both palms to the floor. A magic seal appeared below each palm, and from those seals, a bundle of strings fired out like bullets, slamming into and through the ground. The noise caught Aira's ear as she was the last one at the door. "Uh, Taya?"  
>"Whatever it is Aira, the boys got it." Taya replied as the girls walked in, immediately spotting Reve sitting in their objective. "Reve!" She ran over, the others waiting at the beginning of the room.<br>"What took y'all so long?" He asked cooly. Taya gave him an annoyed look. One that turned into a grateful visage. "I can tell by your snobby response that you still have your magic?" She asked as she began unlocking the restraints to the chair.  
>"Yeah I'm fine." Reve stood from the chair, and requipped a sawn off style celestial gun into his hands. "More importantly, we found our mission objective, so lets destroy this thing and get out of here."<br>"Please." Selene says. "I'm completely over this formal yet illegal meeting. I could be home right now."  
>"Okay shut up Serene." Reve replied in an annoyed tone.<br>"It's...! Never mind just destroy it."  
>Reve took aim, but before he could start charging the blast, Gray, Luke Taranis and Trinity walked in. "What are you guys doing? Did you subdue everyone?" Taya asked. She didn't get an answer from anyone. Taya and Reve squinted while the other three looked on unaware. "You guys alright?" Aira asked. "Hey Luke." Aira walked over to the copy mage, waving a hand in front of his face. Luke then grabbed her wrist, causing her to flinch. "What are you doing!?"<br>"Something's wrong!" Selene says as she stays on the defensive. "Aira get away from them!"  
>Aira continued to try and pull away, finally breaking free after slamming an open palm to the Copy mage's sternum. No one moved as Aira leaped away. With shadows over their eyes, the boys, excluding Reve, stood there mindlessly. Behind them, Kemuri and Tiny stepped inside. Tiny walked in with his hands folded behind his back. Kemuri on the other hand, still held his hands a little bit above his waist, his fingers moving ever so slightly yet consistently. "It's been a while since I controlled so many people at once. I'ma need more training huh? Four is a lot for a puppet mage though, some can only get two on a good day."<br>"What did you do to Gray-Sama!?" Juvia yelled. Kemuri began laughing. "Gray? Hmm...which one is Gray?"  
>Juvia then pointed towards him. "That one! That one is Gray-Sama!"<br>"Juvia no!" Taya exclaimed, but it was too late as she already revealed the one she was concerned for. A wide grin then appeared on his face as he lifted his right index finger, and as if a puppet string was being tugged, Gray moved, sliding into his ice maker stance. Without chanting, gray slammed his now frigid hands into the ground, creating a trail of icy spikes that led right for Juvia. She stood in shock as they came for her, having to be tackled out of the way by Aira. "Are you alright?" The wind mage asked. Before Juvia could answer, Kemuri bent his left pinky, and Luke was now moving. The copy mage lifted his right hand, a small ball of white magic forming in his palm.  
>"...Everyone down." Was Reve's only words as they scattered out of the way the second Luke threw the White God's bomb. The explosion was sent forward, leaving the chair unharmed as the mages went tumbling away from it. This was Tiny's cue. He nonchalantly walked over to the chair and with a single yank, pulled the bolted chair out of the ground, now carrying it out of the room and handing it to some thugs. "If anything happens to this chair, you all will be unemployed permanently, got that?"<br>Back inside, as Tiny slipped back in and watched, Kemuri kept a grin as the mages returned to their feet. "Alright, that was a good warm up."  
>"Warm up? He didn't do anything. He's just controlling them!" Lucy says to herself as she reaches for a key. "Wait...I can't hurt them. They're on our side. This is bad..!"<br>"What's the matter!? Don't want to attack your own buds here? That's strange, they don't have a problem attacking you!" Off his statement, Kemuri began moving all of his fingers easily, causing the four he controlled to take off towards their own comrades. "And now with my fingers loose, you're all gonna die by your own friend's hands. How do you feel!?"

.

.  
>The demon removed it's fists from the ground and Evanee. She laid there, unmoving and unconscious. Tristan and Erza watched on with widened eyes, stunned at what just happened.<br>"She wanted this." Sidney said to himself, folding his arms over. "Still, that demon didn't just replenish his strength when he devoured the stones, he became stronger and faster; probably wiser too. We need to finish this quickly. Which I will do once it's done with Twilight Zone's ace."  
>On cue, the demon reared it's head upward, and in it's mouth, a spiral of stones appeared. It was preparing another oral attack. "She's in trouble!" Erza yelled. Tristan immediately went into his steel make stance. "Steel make...!" Everything slowed down as the Black Phoenix ace came to a realization. "...I'm not gonna make it in time! She's done!"<br>Still, Tristan kept his stance, hoping for a miracle. That miracle didn't come from him as the demon then lurched it's head down, firing a near point blank Stone Demon's Howl upon Evanee, consuming the entire crater, only to make it deeper due to the force of the blow. Sidney looked on as it happened. "Pretty fast for just an S class..."  
>What Sidney referred to, as the smoke cleared from the howl, was Erza now standing in her completely shattered Adamantine armor. Prior to saving Evanee, she charged in using her flight armor to gain speed, quickly switching to provide a defense for them both as she took on the attack alone. Erza now teetered in place, keeping her blurry vision focused on the demon, who mercilessly reared another arm back. This time, before it could swing downward, Sidney appeared again, in another puff of smoke on it's shoulder. He grabbed it's cocked arm, and jumped off it's shoulder, behind the demon, dragging it off it's feet and down to the ground. The loud thud was followed by a call from the ghost mage. "Steel maker.."<br>"Already on it." Tristan replied as he teleported, now floating above the pinned down demon. "Steel make: geyser!"  
>The demon flung Sidney off of him, the White Eclipse mage flipping into recovery as he lands on his feet safely. Before the demon could move, Tristan landed palms first on it's abdomen, and from there, a giant, spiky geyser of steel formed, piercing right through the stone demon as it shot it in the air. The demon now hung there at the top of the geyser, unmoving as Erza helped the awakening Evanee up to her feet. Once she realized where she was, Evanee yanked away from Erza, somewhat standing on her own two feet. "I got it."<br>"Job well done guys." Tristan says as he dusts his hands off. "It gave us a run, but we handled it." Erza nodded, reverting back to her standard armor.  
>"Lets return to Lahar and let him know we're done." Sidney says as he walks out of the crater, Tristan, Erza and Evanee behind him. Once Evanee was out, she fell to her knees again, holding herself up with her palms. Sidney looked back once, then shook his head, not saying anything about it. "I wonder what the reward will be?" Tristan asked as they began walking. "The reward is that we don't have to work for them anymore." Sidney replied. The two continued their conversation, Sidney with short responses as Erza stood there, waiting on Evanee.<br>"...I don't need you to wait on me." The ace said in annoyance. Erza placed a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes once at Evanee's attitude. "I'm choosing to. So the quicker you make it to your feet the better." Evanee scoffed, then began pushing up to her feet. She wobbled again, but held her ground. "Shut up.."  
>Erza shook her head, and then somewhat limped towards the leaving Sidney and Tristan. She took a few steps and then stopped. Evanee froze as well as they both heard movement. They both turned around to see the demon literally pulling himself out of the spiky tower. It's red eyes were once again visible as it finally pulled himself out. "Guys..!" Erza called out shakily as the demon's thud once it landed on the ground was louder. Both Tristan and Sidney turned around, eyes now fixated on the demon who stood with the hole in it's abdomen. That hole didn't last long, as a stone from inside the demon shifted, covering the hole like it was it's new skin. Everyone was on guard as the demon spotted it's opponents once more; yet instead of attacking, the demon looked to the sky, as if something was calling for it.<br>"Oi! Ya bloody wanker! What are you doing, making that awful noise!?"  
>"You better get used to this noise, Maggie. It's how you call your pet."<br>"Pet?"  
>"You'll see, it's not far from here, so we'll give it about twenty minutes tops."<br>This was the conversation that took place back at the meeting, unknowing to the mages. A high pitched call was being performed. One that only caught the demon's ears, and immediately it took off...southward.  
>Sidney's eyes lit up immediately, and he was the first one to take off behind the demon along with Tristan. Erza looked back at Evanee.<br>"Go...! They'll need you!" The ace exclaimed towards Erza. The scarlet haired hesitantly nodded, and then took off running behind them.  
>"Come on Evanee." She said to herself as her legs shook. "I've sacrificed emotion for strength and compassion for security. Power may not be all I know, but it's all I trust." Almost like a quote she spoke these words. She then crouched, and then took off sprinting, kicking up the ground underneath her on the takeoff. Wincing, yet ignoring the pain, she caught up to the mages in a matter of seconds, still behind the fleeing demon. Sidney looked back, not saying a word, then focused back to the demon running. "Maybe she's someone worth fighting after all."<p>

.

.  
>Third floor. A raven haired male with a beige suit walked down the supposedly empty halls. He looked around as he continued forward, finally stopping in front of a random door, yet facing away from it. "Come out come out. Don't tell me I'm the one who picked the one corridor with no trespassers on it." As he stood there, behind him, through the door, a shadow appeared, phasing through. It was Takeru, and he reached for the male in front of him. At the last second the male saw Takeru and within that second he phased away from him, appearing feet away as Takeru grabbed nothing but air. "Tch." Takeru took his normal form again as Gajeel unnecessarily kicked the door down. "How did you miss!? No matter! Lets rumble, I've been itching all day!"<br>Takeru stayed silent as he slid into a fighters stance. Gajeel did the same, but the second he was ready, the male appeared before him, and slammed a kick right into Gajeel's jaw. The Iron Dragon Slayer teetered. Takeru turned to see what happened, and as he did, the man then appeared behind Takeru with a smirk, and then a hard punch to the spine. Takeru hit the wall but quickly turned around to the yawning male. "He's like Doranbolt. Phasing around every which way is going to be a problem in such close quarters."  
>The male then pointed to himself. "Introductions are necessary so pardon the interruption. Name's Lot. Short for Lotheil. And you are?"<br>"About to whoop your ass!" Gajeel yelled as he ran towards him. Lot merely grinned as the Black Steel reared his fist back. "Well then, if you want to be that rude."

Second floor, Mason and Rem were almost to the stairs with the blueprints in hand, trying to make it to the roof. They turned the corner to climb the stairs, only to find another male sitting on the eighth step.  
>He had grayish red hair and wore a navy blue suit. He examined the two in front of them, noticing the blueprints in their hands. "Now you know I can't let you leave with those, or at all for that matter."<br>Mason shrugged. "We didn't really leave that choice up to you, old ass."  
>The male was taken back from the immediate disrespect by the youngster. "How dare you...do you know who I am? I'm Xavier, one of the six hands of Sorcière Warehouse. I'm going to show you to respect your elders." The man stood from his position, and opened his left palm. In his palm a magic seal appeared, followed by a miniature tornado that grew in size. The indoor tornado rushed towards the two, both of them diving into rooms to avoid contact as he spun down the hallway until it disappeared. "Alright fossil face." Mason said as he stepped back into the hallway. He then pulled out a slingshot from his back pocket.<br>"A slingshot? And what are you gonna do with that you?" Xavier asked, chuckling as he waited. Mason pulled back, and at it's peak, a magic circle appeared. Xavier cocked a brow, Mason fired, and as the pellet in the slingshot fired through the magic circle, what was once a normal pellet turned into a fiery bullet. Xavier's eyes widened, and he leaned away from the incoming flame. Barely missing, the flaming bullet burned off some of his clothing from the shoulder. He sneered at Mason for ruining his attire, but as he paid attention to the mischievous mage, Rem slid behind the unaware mafia member. "He's too simple."

Confronting the incompatible duo on the stairs between the first and second floor, two mafia hands stood between Natsu and Leon and the first floor. The dark green haired, white suited male turned to Trey, the maroon haired headed, peach colored suited one. "Hey, Trey. Which one you want?"  
>Trey turned back to the other hand. "I guess I'll take the pink haired one, Wilt." They both nodded in agreement. Natsu and Leon stood in front of them both. Natsu ignited his hands in flames as Leon began to purposely drip acid magic from his. "You guys picked the wrong dragon slayer." They spoke in unison, causing them to halt their intimidating demeanors. They then turned to each other, snarling and no longer focused on their opponents. Wilt shook his head, and activated a magic circle. From the circle under their feet, a range of spikes shot from the ground. Natsu and Leon barely stopped fighting in time to leap out the way. Once the landed again, they both turned back to their opponents. Trey then opened both of his hands as they created a magic seal in each palm. "Sorry fellas, but you two aren't getting past us."<p>

Rocky made his way to the other side of the third floor. He was in a brisk walk, making his way to the safe room. "As the numbers man here, I should make sure the safe is okay. Not that anyone could get in anyways." As he walked to the door, he stopped short of it, then took a deep breath. "If it's been touched I know I'll get blamed for it. They always blame me."  
>Rocky shuffled through his pockets, then pulled out a key. He placed it within the hole, but before he could turn the knob, he was suddenly taken off his feet. He landed on his back with a loud thud. Before he could grasp what was happening, he felt pressure on his chest. Enough pressure to keep him from moving as well. "Rocky..."<br>His eyes widened, unsure who was talking until he finally appeared. Rylo was now visible again. It took Rocky a few, but he finally remembered the magician. "Rylo?"  
>"Remember what you guys taught me Rocky? About being ruthless?"<br>Rocky choked a bit before speaking. "How much did you take?"  
>"All of it." Rylo replied. "And since I told you..." The Slight of Hand mage took off his top hat and aimed the opening towards Rocky's chest. "I can't let you leave my presence with the ability to snitch on me."<br>The male's eyes widened again. "Rylo wait!"  
>It was too late, a magic seal appeared under the hat, and then following that, a giant vortex of wind slammed into Rocky at point blank range, crashing through the floor. Rocky's unconscious and broken body ended up on the second floor. Rylo stood over the hole he created, then walked away from it, vanishing into nothing again as thugs ran past him to see what happened. "Who did this!?" A random thug cried out as they stared at the incapable Rocky.<br>"Kemuri..."  
>Rylo turned the corner, making his way to the vent shaft the entire team started from.<br>"Your father is no longer here, this mission was fate. I'm going to make you pay.

For what you did

so long ago."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Race Towards the Mansion! Brawl at Sorcière Warehouse!

Kuro sat on the rooftop. He sighed, patiently waiting for someone to return with news. "I picked the short straw again. I always lose at those games!" He yelled, flailing about in frustration. He looked over to the tied up thug, still struggling around aimlessly. Kuro then sighed again, and leaned back on to his hands, looking up to the sky. "I wonder how everyone else is doing back at the guild. Our family is huge now. There's Saeko...and Skizuku...and Saeko with her pink hair...and Asami. And Saeko...and...Sa-" Kuro's face turns an immediate red, yet he doesn't realize it as he continues to drift off into his own thoughts. "I wonder if she likes noodles."  
>As Kuro sat there, inattentive to anything around him, Rylo opened the hatch to the roof. He hopped up, closing the hatch behind him as he walked over to Kuro. The magician's serious demeanor was quickly erased once he realized Kuro's blush. "I know that face." He said to himself. He then snapped his fingers in front of Kuro, causing the Fire Make mage to wake out of his daydream. "Is it really the time to be thinking about a girl right now?"<br>"I..!" Kuro's blush grows deeper as he begins wiping his face as if the red was to come off. "I wasn't!"  
>"Right... Anyways. You can stop keeping watch. Your friends could probably use your help down there."<br>"Huh?" Kuro blinked, but then hopped up. "What happened!?"  
>"Natsu happened." Rylo replied as he walked to the front edge of the roof to see if anyone was in the front yard. "Seems like everyone's inside."<br>"Where are you going?" Kuro asked. Rylo turned back to Kuro with a grin as he placed his hand on the base of the roof, a magic seal appearing under him. From his feet up, he began to disappear. "I have personal business to handle. Just help everyone in my place."  
>With that statement, Rylo hopped off the roof, turning completely invisible in mid fall. Kuro looked over to watch him plummet, but caught nothing as the invisible Rylo didn't even make a thud as he dropped to the ground. "Rylo?"<p>

The six of them were now pinned behind a the long table, which was now flipped over. Kemuri stood there, still moving his fingers to get accustomed to controlling the mages. "Shit I need more practice! Ima get it in a second though! Just you'z wait a minute alright?"  
>Aira huffed out in annoyance. "I can't move in this dress and we can't change!"<br>"Well..." Selene said as she looked over the table to see Gray and the others aimlessly firing off their magic, hitting everywhere but their targets. "We could change, if we made it quick."  
>Taya was already putting her hair back into a tail. "Say goodbye to your dresses girls."<br>Aira quickly grabbed herself, as if someone was trying to force her to take it off. "But I loved this one!" Lucy gave the same reaction. "I fight like this all the time anyways!"  
>"Besides!" Aira exclaimed as she pointed to Reve, who was suspiciously quiet the entire time. "I'm not changing in front of Reve!"<br>Taya then turned to Reve as she finished putting up her hair. "Reve, close your eyes."  
>He gave a cheeky grin, taking note of the five girls in front of him. "Like hell I will."<br>Suddenly, a loud "slap" was heard, and Taya now had her hand over Reve's eyes. That was their cue, as dresses flew into the air, and in the next second, Selene, Aira and Lucy were now standing in their standard outfits and hair/eye color. Taya then pulled her hand off of Reve's eyes, a clear red mark where her hand was now visible on his skin from the slapping eye cover. Selene then turned to Taya. "Want me to cover his eyes?"  
>"Why?" Taya responded as threw hers off as well. Before anything was seen, dark vectors spun upward and around the mage, blocking anyone, more importantly Reve, from view as she now stood in her normal gear once it was all over.<br>"Tch." Reve stood up with the rest of them, Juvia electing to stay in her waitress outfit, as they stared Kemuri down. "We still have the problem of not hurting our own comrades." The gunslinger said, pointing out the obvious. "So lets just go around them."  
>"I agree, cowboy." Taya said with a smirk.<br>"He looks like he's having a hard time controlling them anyways." Aira added. She then crouched a bit with the others. On the other side, Trinity inhaled the air around him. "But that's a problem!" Selene yelled. She then slammed her hands to the ground, creating a wall of diamonds. Trinity fired off it's poison demon's howl, it crashing into the diamond wall and dispersing everywhere. "I got the rest!" Aira announced as she swayed her hands around, pushing wind magic each way. The wind pushed the poison gas around until it dispersed into nothing. "Oh? A poison mage huh?" Kemuri noted with a smirk. "So I have an ice mage, a copy mage, a poison mage, and..." He tugged his left pinky, and immediately Taranis took off, lightning speed as he appeared next to Aira who stood with widened eyes. With another tug of his finger, Kemuri's control caused Taranis to grab Aira by her shoulder, sending a strong current of lightning through her. She cried in pain. "Aira!" Selene yelled as she threw a right punch to Taranis to get him off. Another finger tug, and Taranis swayed away from the punch, causing Selene to miss completely. Another tug, and Taranis sent a lightning infused kick to Selene's abdomen, causing her to hunch over, feeling the lightning surge through her. "I like this one!" Kemuri yelled with a content demeanor. At that time, Reve appeared feet away from him, aiming his assault rifle towards the mafia boss. As he fired, Kemuri swung Gray around by completely bending his left middle finger. The ice maker then created a shield of ice that blocked the incoming magic bullets. "Man I'm clutch!"  
>Tiny looked over, spectating the entire time. "He's having too much fun, but, that comes with the inexperience."<br>"Hm?"  
>With a nonchalant expression, Tiny lifts his right forearm upward, blocking the incoming high kick from Taya. He then grabbed her ankle in one quick movement, moving nothing but his right arm to show the disinterest in his body language. He flung her away, Taya flipping into a stance afterwards. Tiny cut his eyes in her direction, then shook his head, pointing back to the real fight. "Your friends are gonna need you. You'll die fighting me."<br>"Heard the speech before." Taya replied." She stood ready, dark vectors surrounding her for support. Tiny ignored her, keeping his eyes on the fight at hand. "Fine then." Taya thrusted a hand forward, firing off two of her dark vectors. Before they could land a hit, Tiny, still fixated on the fight, opened his palm, the vectors bouncing off each way, crashing into the ground and ceiling. "What!? With his bare hand?" Taya stood in shock, until she looked again. "His hand seems enormous from here."  
>And enormous it was, until it shrunk once again when he placed it behind his back. He cut his eyes to her one last time.<br>"Last warning. Leave me be, or die."

"So, a demon pet eh? Sounds mighty interesting."  
>Maggie and Daityas remained in the room, Maggie standing feet away as she folded her arms over. "I wonder what it looks like? Don't tell me! I want to see when it gets here."<br>Daityas grinned. "You'll enjoy it, don't worry."  
>"So where's yours?" Maggie asked as she raised a brow towards him. "It isn't time for mine yet." He replied. "I want you all to get situated first."<br>Maggie narrowed her eyes towards Daityas, then turned away from him. "...We're getting Kiora next."  
>"Actually-"<br>"No there is no actually." Maggie says cutting Daityas off. He curled his lip for a moment, but then dropped it after she spoke again. "Now that my memory is refreshed. I have a clear memory of how you basically threw us under the carriage for Zeref. You destroyed our home to revive a mate that didn't even need us. So the least you can do is give everyone one demand."  
>Daityas gave her a quizzical look. He then gave a slight shrug, grinning once more. "Yeah, that's fine. We'll just come back for Rugal. Better yet! I'll let you retrieve Kiora on your own. I'm sure the sisterly reunion would be much more enjoyable if I wasn't there when her memory came back. Especially if she's going to act like you did."<br>"You'll still owe her a demand." Maggie retorted. Daityas chuckled. "So, you about ready?"  
>Maggie looked at her hands, and began focusing. Slowly, her hands began to liquify, but obviously not fast enough to call it her normal state. "It's so hard to work my lava after not using it for half a year. Give me a few more minutes mate."<br>Daityas nodded with a smile, then sat at the end of the bed. "We have all the time in the world, don't worry."

Mason held his ground, his distraction playing part in Rem's upcoming attack as Xavier stayed fixated on the young male. Xavier created a magic seal, followed by a heavy gust of wind in attempt to blow Mason away. The young mage held on to the doorway, attempting to hold ground as the magic wind blew heavily. The winds were too strong for Mason to lift his hands and ready his slingshot. None of this mattered anyways as Mason closed his eyes from the force of the harsh winds, because behind Xavier, Rem was ready.  
>"Lets see what you dream about.." Rem whispered. Xavier heard him, but it was too late as he turned around. He found himself standing inside a magic seal. Suddenly, his eyes became heavier and heavier until the mafia hand fell asleep, still standing as he was now in a sleeping state.<br>Xavier now found himself standing in the mansion once again, except this time, he was in a chair. Beside him was Tiny, who nodded to him in respect. In front of him, were the other six hands of Sorcière Warehouse, including Kemuri. All of them bowed, Kemuri included. Confused, Xavier looked around. He then began to smile slowly, the dream he was inside felt more real than ever. "Is it true? Do I run Sorcière Warehouse!?" The male began to laugh boisterously. "This is what I've been waiting for! It's my time! That fool Kemuri didn't know what he was doing! Let me show you how it's done!"  
>Mason blinked. He then waved his hand in front of the sleeping mafia hand as he laughed. "He's laughing in his sleep?"<br>Rem nodded. "This is the peace before the nightmare. You would know it as the calm before the storm. I'll now I'm start his nightmare in three...two..."  
>Rem snapped his fingers, the magic seal beneath Xanvmvmmbfvier now spinning.<br>Back inside his dream, Xavier was still laughing. He laughter was then halted as Tiny's hand wrapped around his throat. He then began gasping for air, being quickly cut off the from all supply. Tiny tossed him out the chair, the others surrounded him. Kemuri bent down towards him and reached for Xavier's face. As he screamed for mercy, that's where the dream ended, as the actually Xavier laid on the ground unconscious, and bleeding from his mouth. Mason gulped. "What did you do to him..?"  
>Rem gave an innocent smile in return as they both walked away. "Don't be afraid, he's fine. He just had a nightmare is all."<p>

Panting heavily, Gajeel and Takeru huffed repeatedly as Lot stood with a grin on his face. "Kind of hard to hit what you can't catch huh? This is why I'm a hand in Sorcière Warehouse. Always need a good escape artist ya know?" The mafia mage grinned, fixing his suit as Takeru narrowed his eyes towards him. The shadow dragon took off in a blinding speed, still not fast enough as he missed his incoming right hook thanks to Lot phasing away from him. He appeared again right in front of Tak, and slammed a knee right into his abdomen, hunching the dragon slayer over. "Kch! It's not that he's strong, these attacks are weak at best. They're just adding up..!" As Takeru straightened up, Gajeel slid past him, aiming an iron pole of a right fist towards Lot. The same results occurred, as Lot now appeared on the other side of the hallway, laughing. "You're both too easy. Such sad sacks. I could do this all day!"  
>"Fire Make: Hermes!"<br>"Huh?" Once Lot heard the voice from the mage, he turned around, right into a high speed high kick to the mafia member's temple. The impact of the kick sent the member flying towards the other two mages, a small grin appearing on their faces as they took aim towards the incoming male.  
>"Roar! Of the Iron"<br>"Shadow"  
>"Dragon!"<br>In unison they chanted, and fired their own respective roars towards Lot. The two roars combined, and slammed into the mafia mage, pushing him back towards Kuro in a shadow and iron magic mixture.  
>Kuro then slammed his hands together, a magic seal appearing before him. "Fire make: Tornado!"<br>The flame haired male slammed his hands to the ground, conjuring a tornado made of flames. The flaming funnel traveled, and then slammed into the incoming roar, trapping Lot inside the massive explosion that shook the entire mansion. After the smoke and debris cleared, Lot was on the ground, obviously unconscious.  
>"Kuro." Takeru nodded with a smile as Kuro returned with a full one, waving even though he was only feet away.<br>"Nice timing. Now lets get a move on." Gajeel stated, and the three mages begin making their way to the stairs to proceed downward.

Natsu leapt from the floor, just avoiding another row of metal spikes as he planted on the wall, and then lunged towards Wilt. He reared back a right flaming fist, but as he swung, a giant metal spike appeared before him. Natsu swung through anyways, destroying the spike, yet the obstacle proved enough to save Wilt from taking any damage. The pink haired slayer stayed on pursuit, and charged the mafia member once again. Wilt created a few more spikes, Natsu leaping from side to side to avoid them until he finally entered melee range. Once again, he aimed, and then fired a right hook towards Wilt. The mafia member quickly swayed away, tripping Natsu in the process. The slayer teetered, right into a left hook Trey, slamming his fist into Natsu's jaw. As Natsu slammed into the wall, Leon fired a roar without warning, Trey just ducking in time as the funnel flies over his head and down into the main room of the first floor. The roar crashed into the floor, leaving a trail of acid magic and causing panic from the magic-less mafia members downstairs. Trey turned back to Leon with an annoyed expression, and created two more magic seals that began to spin. They then combined into one circle, and a black aura began to crowd the stairway. Natsu and Leon looked around as they now found themselves in a pitch black "world."  
>"Illusion magic!?" Leon exclaimed in question, continuing to look for a hint of reality anywhere. "A strong spell too, I can't see anything normal."<br>Natsu snarled as he looked around, sparking his hands into flames once more as he readied himself. "Don't be a coward!" He seethed. Back in reality, Trey looked over to Wilt with a grin. "Go 'head and finish em' off Wilt." Wilt nodded, smirked, and then created two magic seals under the dragon slayers. "I haven't impaled someone in a long time." He cackled, yet, before he could summon the spikes to end the two dragon slayers, a clacking sound was heard. It was as if someone was running up the stairs. The sound caused Wilt to look back, but he didn't see anyone there. As he turned back, like a ghost, Rylo appeared in front of him and Trey. "W-what!? Where did you-"  
>Wilt's and Trey's eyes widened as they came to realization of who was standing in front of them. "I remember you! Rylo!" Though Trey was able to speak, the two mafia members had no time to react, as Rylo summoned to well sized cards, both on the walls next to the mages. "Been a while, fellas." Was Rylo's only words before two magic circles appeared, and from it, two giant funnels of wind magic slammed into the mafia hands, causing them to violently slam into each other. With a wave of his hand, Rylo caused the cards to face upward, which in turn caused the the two funnels to soar into and through the roof. Once dispelled, the two mafia hands fell back to the ground, well unconscious. The illusion magic dispelled shortly after, and Natsu and Leon shortly looked around only to notice Rylo running off to the first floors other room. "Hey! Rylo wait up!" Natsu exclaimed as he and Leon took off behind him.<br>"I know Natsu heard him too.." Leon uttered to himself. "He knows these people.. But what's their connection? I hope it isn't anything important."  
>"Hey." Natsu called out to Leon as they ran. Leon looked up, to acknowledge his call. "I'm saving Lucy, but you have a sense of urgency in your eyes as well. Who are you saving?"<br>Leon's eyes widened as he began to harshly stutter. "W-what!? My guild mates of course!"  
>Natsu gave a wide grin. "You seem to have too much of a determined face to save guild mates who can handle themselves!"<br>"Shut up Salamander! I have a..friend I need to check on!" Leon scoffed, continuously running behind the smirking dragon slayer.

"Now would be a good time to make a move!" Erza yelled as they continued to chase the demon that sprinted towards the now visible mansion. Sidney ignored the scarlet haired mage's call as he was the one closest to the demon, yet still a ways away from even attempting a successful attack.  
>"I can't even teleport that far ahead." Tristan stated to himself. "It'd be a lost cause."<br>"Tch! Screw this!" Evanee's exclamation was followed by a lower of the head, and then a furious pump of the arms. She quickly sped ahead, past even Sidney as she began to catch up to the demon ahead. Sidney's eyes flashed open in shock for a quick second as Evanee passed him. The Twilight Zone Ace panted, yet continued to push forward, until she was finally a few feet in front of the running demon. "Now you're mine!" Evanee declared as quickly slid into a turn. Now facing the demon, she dug her feet into the ground as she held both of her palms outward. The demon tried to run the petite mage over. Instead of such result, the demon gradually began to slow down as Evanee pushed back, her feet sliding into the unforgiving ground, pulling up a trail of broken earth. Though she was unable to completely stop the demon, the loss of speed was enough for the other three to catch up. They quickly surround the demon, Sidney to the left, Tristan to the right, and Erza standing at the rear in her Giants armor. Erza finally reached the demon, now grabbing on and pulling the demon it's opposite path in an attempt to stop it's trail. Once again, not a full stop, but the demon's run gradually slowed. Tristan and Sidney then both conjured a magic seal as they prepared their attacks.  
>"Just a little longer! Here we come! Steel make:-"<br>Before Tristan and Sidney could perform whatever techniques they has planned, the stone demon popped open it's jaw as it faced it's open mouth directly towards the ground. It was much faster than the aces as it quickly accumulated the massive amount of energy needed in it's mouth. "Shit!" Evanee and Erza simultaneously exclaimed. On cue, everyone leaped out he way, as the demon fired it's howl directly into the ground, creating a massive crater after another massive explosion. A huge shroud of smoke covered the area as the four mages waited.  
>"Did...did it end itself?" Erza asked with widened eyes.<br>"Don't be ridicu-"  
>Before Sidney could finish his sentence, the giant stone demon leapt out of the giant smoke cloud, well in front of the mages, and continued it's sprint towards the mansion. "There's no way! Was it not affected by it's own assualt!?" Instead of answering Erza's outspoken question, everyone took off again in a desperate attempt to catch up towards the stone demon. As Sidney ran, he quickly came to a conclusion. "We aren't going to make it now.."<p>

Pinned once again, the mages were in a bind, now that Kemuri was starting to gain total control of the mages under his command. "Aye, I got it now! Now we can party!" He cackled, and then slung his right hand forward, causing all of the mages to charge their respective opponents.  
>Taya continued to stare down the right hand mafia made, Tiny. Tiny showed no interest at all as she did so, his sights too busy monitoring the brawl within the room between Kemuri and the mages. Still, he sighed, arms still folded. "You'll die, I'm trying to warn you."<br>Taya scoffed, yet continued to keep her distance from the mysterious male. "Who are you?!" She demanded an answer with her tone, and seconds later, Tiny gave her one; an unjust one however. "I'm Tiny. Known as Tiny da Titan." He cut his eyes towards the dark vector user, giving the smallest grin before turning back to the ensuing fight.  
>"No..." Taya murmured to herself. "There's more to this guy than just a second in command. He's obviously stronger.."<br>The controlled Taranis swung around, swinging a lightning infused haymaker towards the head of Selene. She blocked the incoming attack, as her diamond scaled arms took the brunt of the attack. As sparks flew around continuously, Selene finally pushed the demon slayer away, swinging a hard high kick as well in order to keep Taranis away.  
>"This is no good! We're gonna have to fight back!" Selene yelled as she leaped away from Taranis once more, only to find herself taking a flaming punch against the spine by her own guild mate Luke Cloud. She came to a sliding stop, surrounded. "...Any help?"<br>"Sorry! Hands full!" Lucy yelled as she ran away from her own guild mate, Gray Fullbuster. Gray gave chase, sliding into his ice maker's stance as he took aim towards Lucy. Before he could attack, he found himself trapped inside a dome of water, floating as air slowly escaped him. "I'm sorry, Gray-Sama! Please forgive Juvia!"  
>"Nice water lock!" Lucy panted out as she caught her breath, from trying to elude the ice mage. Before anymore celebratory remarks could be made, the water kick began to freeze, eventually shattering into nothing as a now dampened Gray Fullbuster stood in between both of the female mages. "Gray-"<br>Juvia called out for him, only to be cut off by a plethora of ice lances slamming into her person. She fell backwards, yards away, holding her arm in pain. Gray then turned towards Lucy as she slowly backed away. The brainwashed mage now held his Cold Excalibur, and reared back, readying to strike the celestial mage down. Before he could swing, the doors to the room burst off their hinges, and as Gray turned to see, a flaming fist slammed right into the male's jaw, sending him into the far wall.  
>At the same time, Aira was cornered by Trinity, unable to do anything besides deflect the poison mist the demon slayer let off continuously. With her back against the wall as well, she flinched as Trinity lunged for her, rearing back a poison demon's fist. Before connection, as the doors were blown off their hinges, Leon slammed an open palm into his own guild mate's head, pushing him across the ground it ok Trinity went sliding across the room by himself. Aira opened her eyes as Leon stood in front of her, glaring back at Kemuri. "Leon!"<br>"Oi!" Natsu said in an obnoxiously snarky tone. "So it's her huh!?"  
>"Shut up Salamander!" Leon yelled back, raising a fist comically. He then regained his calm composure. "I'm not embarrassed about it. If anyone hurts my guild mates...or my friend Aira, I'll kill them."<br>Lucy then blinked a few times, finally narrowing her eyes towards the male as she pointed. "You just struck your own guild mate. He looks like he's out too.."  
>Leon ignored the statement as Selene turned to Aira. "Wait, Aira. This is the Leon you were talking about? He's in Black Phoenix!"<br>Aira blinked, confused at what Selene was getting at. "Yeah, and?"  
>"Why didn't you mention he was the same Leon, in the same guild that attacked us and got us all in this mess!?"<br>Aira blinked again, and then sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I guess I forgot!"  
>The entire room comically fell over. Kemuri then had enough of the stint going on. "Enough! I'm ending this right now! Alright puppets! I-"<br>"Drop your hands Kemuri!"  
>His eyes widened as Rylo appeared behind him, his invisibility wearing off. H then began to laugh as he dropped his hands. "That voice.. Rylo Yutaka you'z bastard is that you!?"<br>"Hm? He knows Rylo?" Taya asked.  
>Leon narrowed his eyes. "I figured as much."<br>"No time for the reunion Kemuri, drop your magic or I'm going to blast a hole in you."  
>Tiny bared his teeth just a bit as he observed the compromising situation. "Rylo you runt.. That was my fault, I took my focus off once they crashed in."<br>Kemuri laughed a bit more as he continued to slowly drop his hands. "You were already bitter, Rylo. Even after we gave you a home and a job;  
>basically gave you thievery magic. But if that's the way you want it. You can have this victory, we'll just be free within a matter of time and start over..."<br>Rylo watched carefully as Kemuri finally dropped his hands, and the strings disconnected though they couldn't be seen. One by one, the mages began coming to their senses. Even Trinity sat up as he rubbed his head in confusion and a bit of pain. Tiny turned to help Kemuri, but as he did, he noticed not only Taya, but everyone else in the room had him marked. He stopped his movements, and simply smirked as he refolded his arms behind his back. "This is going to take perfect timing." Tiny said to himself as he scouted the room. At this time, his scouting stopped as the rest of the mages ran in, Takeru leading the bunch as Mason brought up the rear. "Tch!" Tiny scoffed along with Kemuri.  
>"We did it!?" The young mage Mason asked with excitement. "My first real mission is a success!"<br>As he fist pumped to himself, Luke couldn't help but to give a pondering expression as he rubbed his head. "I can't help but think we're forgetting something."  
>"Yeah, me too." Gray said as he made his way to his feet, Juvia draped over him affectionately. "But I can't...put my...finger..."<br>As Gray's words trail off, he noticed drops of bright red liquid leak from the ceiling. He and the others who noticed, turned their eyes to the ceiling. Gray's eyes widened as Luke then yelled. "She remembers!"  
>Gray quickly dove out the way as a giant fountain of lava smashed through the roof and onto the first floor, covering half the room. Once the magma stopped pouring out, Maggie and Daityas stood across from the mages who scrambled away from the lava flow. Kemuri stood in complete shock as he noticed Maggie, standing in her Tartaros wear, her guild insignia just now coming into view, as if it was once invisible and now becoming apparent. The Sorcière Warehouse leader stepped forward, squinting in disbelief. "A...Amelia? What you'z doin!? And when did you get magic!?"<br>"Kemuri, love. Amelia is gone." Maggie grinned as Daityas draped an arm around her. Right on cue, a loud crash was heard as a giant hole now appeared in the wall behind the two Tartaros mages. Eyes widened in utter shock as they all looked upon the giant stone demon standing behind Maggie and Daityas.  
>"That's..." Kuro trailed off as he gawked at the demon.<br>"The demon that the aces were fighting, right?" Lucy said, finishing Kuro'a sentence.  
>"As enjoyable as it would be to stick around and finish the lot of you off personally.." Maggie says as she begins walking off with Daityas and the stone demon itself. "We have a schedule to keep. So you wankers around, maybe."<br>Maggie winked as they walked away, and each step she took created a magic seal. Once she left out the building entirely, from the magic seals, fountains of lava magic uprooted from the ground, quickly starting to flood the entire first floor. Before it could do any harm, everyone was out of the house and away from danger as the mansion melted and sunk into nothing. As they all stood around, the aces included, council members were placing mafia members into carriages as Lahar and Siegrain began speaking with their "team."  
>"Well, Kemuri and Tiny got away, but it's obvious that the chair was destroyed within the house. Nobody grabbed the blueprints?"<br>Gajeel grinned, believing that they were destroyed as well, until Mason stepped forward with a smile as he pulled out the prints from his back pocket and handed them to Lahar. "Well well, the youngest one here. Your guild master will be proud Mason."  
>"That damned kid.." Gajeel scoffed. Siegrain then spoke. "Close enough. Even though Kemuri and Tiny got away, Sorcière Warehouse is no more. But, the demon manifestation theory has been confirmed. Daityas is back, as you all saw; and not only has he manifested a demon that not even the aces could handle, he's found Maggie Solfatara and she's regained her memory. Congratulations, because of your failures, we have a whole new mission on our hands. So you know what that means."<br>Erza huffed aloud as she answered. "We still work for the council."  
>"That's right Erza.~ You still work for us. With that being said, we'll see you all tomorrow. We'll be holding another meeting. Time is now an issue. Lets go Lahar." Siegrain turned and walked off with Lahar right behind him, leaving the mages to finally go back to their separate guilds as well.<p>

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot."  
>"Calm down junior."<br>"I won't! My mansion, my money, my father's legacy! Amelia! I'll kill them all!

Especially you...

Rylo Yutaka!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Race Begins.

"Oh..How long have you been up?"  
>Rylo made his way downstairs to the first level of the Twilight Zone guild. Sitting on the main couch with a glass in her hands, was a bandaged Evanee, the ace of the guild. Her arms were covered with bandages, and a few wrapped around the base of her neck, signifying that her torso was also wrapped. She placed her glass down, and then leaned back into her seat. "Long enough to wait on you. I wanted to ask you about something."<br>Rylo raised a brow, a confused expression dawned upon his features as he came to the base of the stairs. "...Ceaser did it."  
>"Just shut up and come here." Evanee retorted. She turned to the magician, and waited on his arrival. Rylo walked over, sitting on the couch adjacent to the ace, waiting on her question.<br>"Where is it?" Evanee asked, glaring into his eyes. Rylo gave another confused demeanor as he leaned away from her glare. "Where is what?" He replied. As soon as he asked, his demeanor shifted, just now realizing what she was asking. Still, he waited.  
>"We were all given specific instructions. And you were the only one missing from their post. That isn't like you. I could tell that before we went on that mission that something within you was unsettling, so it's no surprise that they told me they you went a bit awry in the mission. So, where is whatever you took from that mansion?"<br>Rylo blinked, and then gave a regretful grin as he lowered his head. "My assistant has it. Over sixty million in jewel and items. Right now it's just floating around in the pocket space she lives in."  
>Evanee's eyes widened. He had lost her at sixty million. "You cleaned out their entire safe!?" Her tone wasn't pleasant. Rylo gave a shrug again. "I just took what I was owed..."<br>"Rylo they didn't owe you sixty million jewel! Did you even think of the consequences of what you did!?"  
>He scoffed. "There aren't any. No one knows but you, and you wouldn't understand it anyways. I grew up there. Kemuri was my best friend before I found you guys. He was my only friend...and then he abandoned me. All because his father hated me. I was homeless, when I left that place, and nothing got better afterwards either. Not for a while. The least they could do was pay me everything they have. So I cleaned the safe out."<br>Evanee simply shook her head. "Just don't go back to being a thief, please. Whenever you do it once, it hits you like a drug, and sixty million is a lot for you to act like it was a one time thing."  
>Rylo raised his hand in a Boy Scout fashion. "I promise that I won't go back to being a thief!" He smiled after his declaration, causing Evanee to roll her eyes. "Come on, we have to meet at that guild again."<br>They both stood up, and walked outside of the guild. Already outside, Ceaser and Kairi were sitting face to face, what seemed like meditation. "Those two are hard at work." Rylo commented. "It's been a while since Ceaser took training seriously."  
>"Is that a good or bad thing for you?" Evanee replied with a small grin. Rylo began to dig a pinky into his ear to show a feigning disinterest to her question. "He won't catch up to me, Evanee. We used to be equals, but I've widened the gap too much."<br>"Right." Evanee said with a sarcastic tone as the two mages began walking off and away from the guild.  
>"...Note to self, train when we get back."<p>

Everyone sat around the main room of White Eclipse. The accompaniment inside the guild was well in numbers. Reve sat in a lone chair, leaning back in it a bit as Taya stood behind him, waiting. "You all are here entirely too early." The gunslinger spoke.  
>"I didn't want to be here anyways!" Natsu yelled in reply. Reve then gave a grin as he turned to the dragon slayer. "Oi, idiot. Calm your voice before I do it for you."<br>"What did you say!?" The Dragon slayer roared in hostility, already marching towards Reve until they both simultaneously felt a slap hit against the back of their heads. Flinching at the same time they both rubbed their heads, as Lucy and Tayakata shook theirs, Lucy dragging Natsu back to the unofficial Fairy Tail side of the room.  
>Zalen then leaned over towards Kuro and Waiston, cupping his hand away from the couple. "Taya really has had a hold on our leader lately."<br>The two nod together, agreeing with his statement, until they felt a cold hard glare creating a chill down their spines. Reve was the culprit, and the three immediately straightened up.  
>Gajeel stood with his arms crossed. He glared as well, but the guild mate he was showing hostility towards, was the sixteen year old Shaman's Haven member, Mason Calvot. Mason noticed, and only grinned back towards the Iron Dragon Slayer. "What's wrong with you Gajeel?" Wendy asked as she too noticed his glare towards the boy.<br>"Gajeel here is mad that I gave the council the blueprints to the working chair." Mason said, answering the question for him. He then shrugged. "But hey, I was just doing my job, isn't that right, rust bucket?"  
>"Natsu gave the kid a dismissive wave." Good try kid, but Gajeel has heard it a- Gajeel what are you doing!?"<br>Gajeel was now being held back by Erza and Gray, as he tried to make his way towards Mason. "I'll kick your ass little runt! C'mere!"  
>Lucy blinked in confusion. "He never gets riled up over a name calling? Why now?"<br>"You'll have to excuse Mason." Satoshi's voice grabbed the attention of everyone as his hand thumped the back of the boy's head. "Ow! Sato!" Mason whined as he looked back at Satoshi. Suddenly, Gajeel calmed down, giving an unsure expression. "Mason is a mischief mage. One of his abilities is an ocular magic, changing certain feelings or emotions that someone feels about someone else temporarily."  
>"You mean.." Wendy stated. "While Gajeel and Mason were staring at each other, he caused Gajeel to become hostile?"<br>Sato nodded. "Hostility, fear, obedience, trust-"  
>"And infatuation~" Mason said with a grin as he stared towards Wendy. Wendy became caught in his stare, a pink hue flashed past the boy's eyes. Wendy immediately felt her knees become weak as she lovingly smiled towards the mischievous mage. His spell was in effect until Satoshi thumped him again. He held his head once more in pain. "UGHHH Master Satoshi!"<br>"Once again, sorry for the trouble."  
>"What a handy magic.." Cygnus said as he watched everything unfold. "Fascinating, now can we get this thing going!?" Serenity asked in an demanding voice. The other Black Phoenix ace stood next to Tristan, in front of Leon who was also standing with his hands by his side, staring at the ground. Natsu began a cheeky grin, and then nudged Lucy. This quickly caught Leon's eye, knowing exactly what Natsu was ploying. "Shut up Salamander..!" Leon murmured, loud enough for everyone to realize that he spoke. Attention was now on him for the short period of time, until Lucy began to give a cheeky snicker, covering her mouth as she looked over to Aira, who was also looking elsewhere in the same demeanor as what Leon previously held. She was, until she caught glimpse of Lucy. Aira turned and saw Lucy "secretly" pointing to a crimson faced Leon comically glaring at Natsu. Her eyes quickly widened, following a crimson stripe forming across her face as she turned back to wherever she was distracting herself with.<br>The entire time, Siegrain and the captains, along with Doranbolt and Ultear, stood there. A sweatshop formed on the back of their heads as they watched the antics unfold. "We're trusting these mages for this..." Ultear said in an unsure manner. "They're the strongest we have.." Siegrain replied, almost as if unsure himself. The commotion continued until Rylo and Evanee finally appeared, walking inside to join the others in the main room. "Well there it seems like we're ready ta' start huh Siegrain?" Mac, the guild master of Aurora Pistola stated. He stood behind Rem, and another Pistola mage, a girl with navy colored hair and eyes.  
>"Right." Siegrain cleared his throat as the room gained a serious aura. He then stepped into the middle of the room as Lahar laid out a map of the country if Fiore. "As we witnessed during your last mission, Tartaros is still alive. According to everyone who ran into her however, Maggie, the Lethal Eruption as she calls herself, had no idea who she was until Daityas arrived correct?"<br>Both Luke and Gray nodded. Reve could feel Taya grip the head of his chair. Reaching back, he placed his hand on her's in an attempt to calm her.  
>"So this means only one thing. The others are still out there, memory loss and all. Our new objective, is to find them before Daityas, and now Maggie do. If they were to regroup, we would be in danger all over again."<br>"What makes this harder." Sidney says, garnering the attention in the room. "Is that they have an actual demon with them now. A demon that easily survived the incompetent work of the team you left me with."  
>"What did you say?" Evanee asked, her eye twitching slightly. Tristan and Erza scoffed as well. "I'm sure I was loud enough for the entire guild." Sidney replied.<br>"Anyways." Siegrain's begins again to dull the tension. "Our plan now, is to scatter you across the country. We have to find the remaining mages and hide them before Daityas can get to them. We'll leave the teams to you all, and we've already circled areas we want you all posted. They'll help you cover most of the area, so that we can find them sooner. You'll ship out immediately."  
>"Alright." Reve stood up. "Lets get the teams started then."<br>"And who died and made you leader?" Serenity asked. She placed her hands on her hips, waiting for a response. "I did of course." Reve replied.  
>"Yeah, take a seat there toy soldier, ye'aint ready to lead in sucha task ya know?" Reve turned to Mac, glaring slightly. "You..you really piss me off." Mac couldn't help but grin as he stood with his arms folded. "Anyways, I think we should allow someone without an ego to form these teams. And by that I mean, someone not White Eclipse, and someone not Fairy Tail."<br>"What was that you bastard!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison.  
>"Okay you know what! I'll do it!" Odin's suggestion quieted the entire guild. "It's a shame that we have to rely on a bunch of mages who can't even get along to keep Fiore safe. Now listen up, because I'll only do this once."<p>

{Now remember Maggie. Don't use the spell around anything that could cause a distraction. It has to fully complete in order for them to remember who they are.}  
>"Man that bloke can be annoying." Maggie arrived at her destination. She stood in front of what seemed to be a daycare in a place called Dawn City. She walked towards, and inside, noticing the place literally crawling with kids. None of them were older than the average toddler. Maggie was already becoming annoyed with the cries and yells of the children. Her aggravated expression quickly turned to one of surprise as she spotted a familiar face. That face quickly turned into a stifling laughter as a young raven haired woman walked towards her with an endearing smile. She was wearing a long, pink dress, with a pink hat hanging off the back of her neck, connected to a string around the front of her neck. With her hands clasped together, she approached Maggie. "Hello, and welcome to the Dawn City Daycare. I'm Katsu. You seem new, did you want to consider us for your kids new magic getaway."<br>"Magic...getaway..." Maggie almost couldn't hold it in. She was about to burst with laughter as she looked Katsu over. "Kiora...what are you..."  
>Katsu, now revealed as Kiora blinked. "Kiora...that name sounds familiar, yet foreign. Is that your kid's name or something?"<br>Maggie had to turn away for a bit to regain herself. She then turned back to Kiora, snickering once more before she began. "Ki-Katsu. You seem like a very...cheery person Katsu."  
>"Why thank you. It's the children that keep my spirits uplifted."<br>"I'm done." Maggie said in her thoughts. "Kiora took a complete one eighty. Her clothes, and attitude are completely the opposite." Maggie's observations were true. Except for the attitude. As Kiora stood there, a toddler stood behind her, and flung a clay like substance at her. The clay slapped against the back of her head, sticking to her hair. Kiora kept her abnormally cheery smile for a couple more seconds, a vein appearing and throbbing just above her right eye. The toddler did it again, and quickly she turned around, flames comically shooting upward in the background. "LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE RUNT! THROW THAT AT ME AGAIN AND YOU WONT LIVE TO SEE PAST THE AGE OF THREE DO YOU HEAR ME!?"  
>Maggie was comically wide eyed. She finally blinked a few times as Kiora seethed at the crying kid. "Nope...that's Kiora alright."<br>"You have to excuse her, she works her alone and the forty kids are a lot for her to handle. Besides that, she's nice."  
>Maggie's eyes widened again. "That voice..."<br>She turned to her left. How did she not notice her when she walked in. That by itself confirmed that she was indeed...  
>"Sora..." Maggie walked over to her, and crouched down to the pink haired girl who was holding a doll against her. Sora shook her head. "Close, but sorry. My name is Sarah." Maggie smiled, and shook her head lightly as she patted the girl on the top of her head. "Of course it is, Sarah."<p>

"Welcome to the Oshibana City Conquerors board game challenge! Come one come all! Play the champion at Conquerors! If you win, you get twenty thousand jewel each time! So far he's undefeated, but don't let that scare you!"  
>The man with the speaker continued to boast as Daityas walked towards the front of the crowd, back in his blonde hair and blue eyes disguise. Sitting in the champion's chair, the green haired male just checkmated another player. The player stood up and bowed, then left.<br>"Anyone else want to give it a shot!?" The man with the speaker yelled.  
>"I'll go." Daityas raised his hand, and walked to the stage. "Alright! And what is your name sir!?"<br>Daityas grinned as he paid the one hundred jewel entry fee. "Dante."  
>He bowed to the green haired male as he sat across from him. "And what's your name, champ?"<br>The champion gave a smile. "Jin."  
>Daityas would then simply chuckle as he made his first move. "Oh no it isn't, Rugal." He whispered to himself. Still, his actual name made Jin experience a small chill down his spine. He shrugged it off as they continued playing. Move after move they played. Daityas lasted longer than anyone has ever before against "Jin" but in the end, he still lost.<br>"Good try sir!" The speaker holder announced. Daityas then threw another one hundred jewel on the table. "Lets play again. Any objections?"  
>The crowd looked around, until a random yelled. "No way! You're the closest to beating him! Go for it!" His yelled caused the audience to follow as the rooted for the challenger.<br>"Rugal was always an expert at these trivial games. This may take a while." His thoughts then cleared as the two continued playing, making move after move.

"Nothing in Magnolia." Gray reported as he, Juvia, Rem and his partner, the navy color haired female, along with Trinity and Mathias stood, staring at Lahar's face inside the lacrima.

"Nothing in Onibus." Reported Reve, Zalen, Sidney, Tristan, Erza and the Raijinshū.

"Not a soul on Akane Beach." Rung Evanee, along with Natsu, Lucy, Taranis, Aira, Leon, Takeru and Selene.

"Everything is quiet in Dawn City it seems." Heather reported along with Kuro, Saeko, Rylo, Melanie, Gajeel, Levy and Taya.

"We just stepped into Oshibana." Jaxon reported as he stood next to Waiston, Serenity, Wendy and Mason.

Lahar: {Stay vigilante and search high and low. Knock on a few doors if you have to. They aren't hiding, they just don't know who they themselves are. If you see Daityas or if you find a member and they look hostile, do NOT advance. Contact me first.}

"Okay, we're splitting up." Serenity demanded. "The more streets we cover, the sooner we can clear this place."  
>"Wendy, come with me." Mason told her. At first, Wendy shook her head. "No offense, but if we run into Daityas, I want to be with someone I can rely on."<br>"That's right, and we don't trust you!" Carla exclaimed.  
>Mason grinned, his eyes flashing yellow as he spoke again. "Come on Wendy, I'll protect you."<br>The yellow flash was the trust spell from his ocular magic. Since that's what Wendy lacked with Mason, he used the ocular magic in her. Wendy then nodded, and happily followed Mason down the street alone. Serenity shrugged, and the others split up as well.  
>Mason and Wendy began walking down the street, hearing a commotion. Upon further view, the noticed a gathering going on. "What's that?" The dragon slayer asked. Mason shrugged as he stuffed a chunk of a hamburger in his mouth. "Beats me.."<br>Wendy turned to see why his words were so muffled. "...Where did you get that so fast?"  
>"Huh? Oh, I stole it!" He responded with such a sincere smile. Wendy gave a stale face, unable to comprehend the boy beside her. She then shook her head. "Lets go see what's going on." Wendy grabbed Mason by the hand as she pulled him along. Mask took another bite, cheekily snickering as he was pulled. "Wendy, I didn't know you were so affectionate." He said in sarcasm. Wendy stopped again, confused. She then looked down, realizing that she was holding his hand. The girl then shrieked, frantically wiping her hand on her clothes as if their was an unbearable stain in her palm. "You used your ocular magic again didn't you!?"<br>Mason shrugged at the comically angry Wendy, turning his head with closed eyes. "No idea what you're getting at." Mason then looked up at the stand where the two males were seen playing the board game. "Huh? Hey, that guy was at the mafia meeting! He was the driver right?"  
>Wendy looked over to see what Mason was talking about, since she wasn't at the mafia meeting, and Mason didn't know Daityas, neither one of them recognized the king of hell. Wendy and Charla did however recognize...<p>

"Rugal…!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Checkmate! A Fatal Lullaby!

"Rugal? That green haired guy up there?" Mason blinked a few times as Wendy stood there, frozen before finally snapping out it. She slowly nodded. "He's a Tartaros mage. We found one..!"  
>Mason looked on, and then rubbed his chin. "He doesn't look all that.. You think he's still with memory loss?"<br>Wendy nodded again. "I'm sure if he wasn't, this entire city would be gone by now."  
>"Hey look!" Mason pointed upwards to the sign over Daityas and Rugal's head. "It's a conquerors challenge! Rugal must of became the champion at this game!"<br>"Yeah, so? How does that- hey! Come back!"  
>Wendy yelled after Mason as he ran towards the front of the crowd.<br>"I'm twenty thousand jewels in. Not that the money is important, but I'm not making any progress." Daityas' thoughts only helped cloud his mind from thinking of a strategy of beating Rugal at the board game. With a few more moves, Daityas was checkmated again. A wave of disappointment came over the crowd. Daityas was about to pull out another one hundred until...  
>"I'm up!"<br>Daityas looked over towards the voice. Mason waved to the host of the challenge and uninvitedly made his way up to the board. Daityas was about to protest until he then heard a a familiar voice.  
>"Mason do you even know how to play?"<br>He looked down, and matched the voice with the face. "That Sky Dragon Slayer?" Daityas murmured. He then grinned, and sat up from his seat, walking past Mason until the boy stepped into his way.  
>"Hey! You, weren't you the driver in that mission we went on? You drove the carriage for the mages that went to the meeting."<br>Daityas towered over the mischief mage, a pause filled the air as he searched for an answer, all while keeping a calm demeanor. "I am. So what of it?"  
>"So what are you doing out here in Oshibana?" Mason asked, narrowing his eyes towards Daityas. He merely grinned again as he answered his interrogation. "I'm a big Conquerors fan and avid player, but alas.." He then pointed towards Rugal. "It seems no one can beat the champ."<br>"I'm going to right now." Mason says as he sits down after giving Daityas a suspicious look over once more. Daityas elected to stay and watch, standing next to the speaker as Mason grinned towards Rugal. "You ready champion!?" The kid exclaimed. Rugal smirked, and merely shook his head. "Please, call me Jin."  
>"Whatever lets just play!"<br>Rugal was taken back by Mason's attitude a bit. "Rude kid. You may begin."  
>"Alright." Mason kept a grin as he made his first move. Rugal immediately shook his head. "Are you sure you know how to play? The beginning is the momentum gainer, and with a move like that..-"<br>"Are you sure you want to make that move?" Mason says, cutting Rugal off as he lifted his own piece. Rugal met Mason's gaze, and a red hue flashed past Mason's pupils. Rugal swallowed the saliva in his mouth as he stared at the board, a bit shaky. He was now afraid to make a move he makes all the time. "I...no.." Rugal places the piece down, and then moves an entirely different one; one that had no effect on Mason's chances of winning whatsoever.  
>"That kid is cheating with ocular magic." Daityas said to himself, secluded in his own thoughts. "They just keep finding mages to piss me of with."<br>Mason made another normally ill advised move, but with his ocular magic still in effect, the young boy merely snickered as Rugal reached for a piece, causing the amnesiac to hesitate. "What is wrong with me? For some reason, that doesn't seem like the right move anymore. I've done this countless of times." Rugal's thoughts began to torment him, and it was evident on his face.  
>Wendy blinked, watching everything unfold with her exceed. "Wow, this is the champion? Mason has him really sweating."<br>"It's because he's cheating, Wendy." Charla added. "He's using the same thing he used on you. Rugal is afraid to make what's usually the right move."  
>Wendy then crossed her arms over her chest. "And to think I was actually giving him credit."<br>The process didn't last long, and end the end...  
>"Checkmate!" Mason roared. He stood up with both hands in the air, as if he won fair and square while the crowd behind him applauded and cheered. Rugal sat in disbelief, shaking his head as the magic dispelled. Still, he had no clue of the ocular magic, and stared at the board as if a nightmare just occurred. "Hey." Mason extended a hand towards Rugal, smiling all the while. "Good game. We should talk strategies soon. You're a great player!"<br>Rugal blinked, and then shook the boys hand. "I've dedicated my life into this game. So for me to lose like this, I can't help but accept. I know a coffee shop down the street, so lets head there."  
>Mason's smile enlarged. "Sounds good!" The young mage then turned back to Wendy. "Hey! We're headed to that coffee shop!"<br>"I heard.." Wendy murmured. Charla then tugged once on her shirt. "I think he wants us to grab the others. It makes sense, because if we explain who he is to him, who will believe two kids and a cat?"  
>Wendy nodded. "Good point. Lets go!" They immediately turned and ran off, making their way through the crowd as they ran to find the group they came with. Daityas quietly watched the dragon slayer and exceed leave, then shifted his eyes back to Mason. "As I thought; they're here to protect Rugal. Heh.." A subtle grin came over his face as he walked off the stage after Mason and Rugal. "Funny, two kids have me in check. But this won't last long. That dragon slayer girl obviously ran off to gather whoever they came with. Sorry Rugal, I wanted you to pick out your own demon..." As Mason and Rugal took a right, Daityas turned to the left, and then into a back alley as he opened Zeref's book. "But I don't have time for that now. So lets see.."<br>He scrolled with his finger, reading each demon to decide which one to select. "Maggie stole the aquatic demon for Kiora. Which is odd. I expected her to grab the shadow one. I'll probably give that to Sora.  
>Ah! Here we are! You're welcome Rugal!" His finger stopped. He then chanted the incantation, a black magic seal forming on the ground in front of him. It began to spin violently, slightly shaking the area around it. A man then came outside and into the back alley a few moments later to see what was happening.<br>"Hey! What are you doing over there!" The man yelled towards Daityas as he approached him. Daityas slowly turned his head towards the man with a sadistic grin as two giant hands sprouted from the magic circle. The being then stood from the circle, towering over the king of hell. The man stood wide eyed as he stared towards the giant demon. It stood in a pure white skin color, black markings traveling down it's back just like the stone demon before. The man began to back up, until he tripped, falling on his rear. He continued to back away, unable to speak. Daityas then pointed forward. "Go have some fun, demon of light."  
>The man quickly made his way to his feet, and began running. A flash of blinding light occurred, and a blood curdling scream followed. The demon stood at the end of the alley as a shadowed silhouette, obviously the man, fell to the ground in a thud.<p>

"How can you watch all these runts around a river at one time?" Maggie asked as she sat in between Kiora and Sora, watching the plethora of children run around. Kiora shook her head in a disapproving fashion. "They're not runts! They are precious angels."  
>"Cut the act mate we all saw you spazz on the carpet crawler back inside the daycare."<br>Kiora paused for a bit, and then took her hat off. "Okay you got me, I hate kids. It's just an act because the more kids I take care of the more money I get. Damn these brats."  
>Maggie looked over towards her, her eyes were wide again, blinking a few times afterwards. "Kiora?"<br>"Who's this Kiora girl you keep calling me? My name is Katsu, damn."  
>"Alright mate chill! Bloody hell! You're more cranky then that time I wanted to listen to my favorite song and you spazzed out on everyone."<br>Kiora and Sora both blinked. "You got me confused, and it's creepy. I don't know you. Stop freaking me out dude."  
>Maggie sighed. "Oh yeah, sorry, you just remind me of a pal I once had. I'll tell you the story. We were all sitting around one day."<p>

{FlashBack}  
>With the Tartaros mages sitting around their main room, Tayakata had just finished playing the Bolero Of Fire. Everyone was enjoying the tune, except for Kiora who was somewhat filing her nails. As Taya started up again, she comically flipped to playing fetch with her shadow dog, Cerberus. Halfway through the song...<br>"Oh my god! Play something else! I'm so tired of this damn song!"  
>Maggie sat up, as if a lioness caught sight of her next prey. "What did you say!?"<br>"You heard me!" Kiora retorted. "I'm tired of this song! Play something else!"  
>Taya then turned around in her chair, narrowing her eyes at the Fatal Embodiment. "Well Kiora, do you have anything else?"<br>Put on the spot, her eyes began to shift. "O-of course! It goes like this!" Kiora stood up, and began reciting lyrics at the top of her head to an eerie tune she also just created on the spot.  
>"~Come little children...come with me. Safe and happy you will be?~"<br>It only took seconds for Taya to catch on to the tune as as began playing in rhythm.  
>"~Away from home, now lets run. With Kiora you'll have so much fun. Oh little children, please don't cry. Kiora wouldn't hurt a fly! Be free to frolic, free to play, come with me to my castle to stay. Oh little children, please don't squirm. These ropes, I know, will hold you firm. Now look to me, the darkness calls. Back and forth, your eyelids fall. Oh little children, you cannot leave. For you, your families will grieve. Minds unraveling at the seams, allowing me to haunt their dreams. Do not wail and do not weep, it's time for you to go to sleep. Little children, you were not clever... Now you'll stay with me forever~!"<br>Taya continued playing the tune for a few more seconds, allowing it trail off. She then turned around to face the others. "I must say, even though you made that up just now, it was a nice change of pace. What are you going to call it?"  
>Kiora curtsied. "You were just blessed with Kiora's lullaby. You are welcome."<br>Sora. Who was perched on Arc'a shoulders, began clapping and laughing. "Lets hear it again!"  
>Taya turned to Kiora, who hesitated, making sure she remembered her own lyrics. She then nodded, and Taya began playing again.<br>{End Flashback}

Kiora and Sora sat in disbelief and shock. Sora leaned over to see Kiora's expression. It was one she was expecting. Maggie came to from telling her story, now looking at them both in confusion. "You two blokes okay?" Maggie asked. Sora was the first one to snap out of her daze. "That tune..." Her phrase caused Maggie to raise a brow as Sora turned to Kiora once more. "You said you made that tune up! I've never heard anyone else sing in that rhythm anywhere else until now! Katsu you lied to me!"  
>"Sarah I didn't!-"<br>Before Kiora could explain, Sora hopped off her seat and ran off back towards the daycare.  
>"Stop being a spoiled brat and get back here!"<br>"Wait." Maggie grabbed Kiora's shoulder before she could go after Sora. "You've sung that tune here at the daycare?"  
>"Huh? Yeah...except the words are a lot nicer. I'll sing it later I have to go get Sarah."<br>"I'll get here. You stay here and watch the other bloody runts, because you can have a laugh if you think I'm going to."  
>Kiora nodded as Maggie walked back to the daycare. As she walked away, a grin began to form on her face. "With Sora alone in the daycare, I can get her first, and then Kiora will easily follow."<p>

"That was quite a game back there,  
>Mason was it?" Rugal asked the boy sitting across from him, sipping his coffee mug right after. He placed the mug down again. "Your moves seemed so simple, yet it made me question my own moves, as if I was..."<br>"Afraid?" Mason finishes his statement, scooping a spoon into his sundae and taking a bite. "Thanks for the sundae by the way. But to answer your question, Jin. My moves were basic. They're the only moves I know. I suck at conquerors, as well as any other board game."  
>Rugal raised a brow as Mason nonchalantly took another bite of his sundae. "Surely you're kidding?"<br>"Nope!" He smiled, scooping another spoonful of ice cream. "I cheated."  
>Rugal began to internally seethe. It wasn't just the fact that Mason cheated. It was the way he boasted about it. "And how...did you do that!?"<br>Mason smiled a bit more. "My magic. I'm a mischief mage you see, and part of that is an ocular magic I've honed, to alter one's emotions or feelings towards another. Every time I made a move, I used said magic to alter your fear, or lack there of, causing you to question your movements."  
>Rugal slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. "You will return the prize money, and I-"<br>"Whoa whoa!" Mason cut the green haired male off, waving in surrender. "I'm telling you this because there's a bigger picture behind it. I don't want the money. So come on, sit down and lets talk. It's important. You can /trust/ me."  
>At the end of his statement, his eyes flashed a yellow, causing a wave of trust to come over Rugal. He nodded once hesitantly, and sat back down. "It better be good."<br>Mason dug in his pocket, and pulled out a small patch with a council symbol on it. To anyone in the council, they could tell it was fake; but for Rugal.  
>"That's a council badge?" His statement caused Mason to nodded accordingly. "You're in danger, Jin. Daityas, the Tartaros mage, and proclaimed King of Hell is after you."<br>Immediately his eyes widened. "I'm still skeptical, but you have a badge, so I guess I can't help but cooperate. Why me though?"  
>Mason sighed. "Because, your real name isn't Jin. Half a year ago, you were part of an apocalyptic attack by Daityas that included Zeref himself. In order to save your life, when Zeref was about to kill you, Daityas casted a spell from the book of Zeref that saved you and the others. That spell had side effects, causing your mind to create another life for you while blocking the original one out. Your real name...is Rugal."<br>Rugal sat there dumbfounded. Unable to speak, he stared at the table in front of him until he could muster the words. "So... I'm a Tartaros mage?"  
>Mason slowly nodded. "Yes, now you see why we must move you from here?"<br>Rugal nodded once. "Yes. Now I see why...why I must find Daityas."  
>Mason was caught off guard by the statement. "...wait what?"<br>"It's all coming back to me slowly, yet it still feels so foreign..." Rugal began to stare at his hands. "Portal magic? But I don't feel any magic pressure from me.."  
>Mason now shook in fear. "Did I...did I trigger his normal mindset!? I'm so stupid! I jogged his memory!"<br>Rugal continued to stare at his hands. "One thing I don't want to do, is live a lie. I need to find this Daityas guy, and ask him a few questions. Rugal huh? It's a lot better than Jin. But this Portal Magic I'm remembering. What is it?"  
>Mason, with irrational thinking, quickly charged Rugal to subdue him. Before he could reach him, Rugal instinctively held out a palm towards him, causing Mason to lunge right into a now open portal. The portal then closed with Mason inside. Rugal then turned back to his hands, still in shock. "It's true, I am a Tartaros mage.. I must find him. I'm sure he's close. It's almost like I can feel him near.."<br>"That's because I'm right here."  
>Rugal slowly turned around, now facing the King of Hell himself who was sitting in the booth behind them. "Rugal, my old friend. Are you ready to come home?"<p>

"We checked the entire beach thoroughly, correct?" Evanee spoke as she led the Akane beach team. The other mages stood in front of her, all agreeing. "Every grain of sand. Nothing out of the ordinary. Not a single Tartaros mage anywhere." Selene says. "We had to be the one of the teams to come up empty huh?" Natsu whined as he folded his arms. Leon looked over towards the other dragon slayer, sighing in annoyance in the process. "You're so impatient. There's still an entire map to cover."  
>"Shut up." Natsu replied in a blunt manner. "I wasn't talking to the rotten dragon slayer."<br>Leon took in another deep breath to calm himself from making any hasty actions. Lucy then roughly nudged the dragon slayer. "Stop being so mean to him!"  
>Leon then turned to Lucy with a smile. "It's okay, Lucy. Natsu's just upset because I was on the verge of beating him until his exceed had to save him."<br>Natsu immediately turned to Leon, snarling in anger. "What do you say you blowhard!? Do you wanna go!?"  
>"Yes." His clear cut answer gave an ironic reaction to the other mages as they blinked a few times. "But now isn't the time. We're on a job, and as a Black Phoenix mage, my job is now first priority. Your time is coming though, Salamander."<br>"Screw that! Fight me right now! Are you scared!" Natsu yelled as he tried to make his way for Leon, only being held back by Happy and Lucy.  
>"Are you deaf? We're on a mission! That comes first! Screw it, lets go right now then!" Leon was now on the move, only to be held back by Aira, both her and Lucy simultaneously screaming "Stop!"<br>Taranis then turned to Evanee as the argument continued. "Not gonna stop them?"  
>Evanee had her back turned, watching the scenery for anything suspicious. "We're on a mission, Taranis. I have nothing to do with those clowns. If they want to fight, let them. Just don't get caught in it your job comes first."<br>Taranis shrugged. "Yeah, oh well."

"That was so weird." Kiora said to herself as she stared blankly in the area the kids were playing near the river. "I sing that tune all the time, but those words just now did something to me.. It's probably just how creepy they were. Who talks about kidnapping children? I hate kids too but that's extreme. The name Kiora was in there a lot too, but she did say that the Kiora girl made it up on the spot. Kiora...why is that name so familiar? It's like..I can't put my finger on it, but I'm supposed to know. Kiora...Kiora...Something about being fatal? I don't know, I'm thinking too hard."

"Oh Sarah! Come out and lets talk! You know Katsu didn't mean to hurt you!" Though Maggie kept an apologetic voice, the grin on her face was more than evident as she neared the daycare. "Sarah. Come on now. Lets talk...this..." She lowered her voice as she heard talking coming from inside the building. She waited, then confirmed that someone was definitely inside with Sora. Maggie slowly peered her head through the door, and instantly seethed quietly to herself at who she saw.  
>"Sarah huh? That's a pretty name. My name is Taya. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand, and took Sora's in her palm, giving it a light squeeze. Sora smiled a bit after drying her eyes. "Thank you."<br>"Why were you crying, Sarah?" Taya asked as she bent down to her level. Sarah shook her head. "It doesn't matter, I'm okay. My caretaker just lied to me is all."  
>"Oh, I'm sorry. I know how that feels. But Sarah listen to me okay? I need your cooperation. Do you trust me?"<br>Sarah slowly nodded. "For some reason, I do. It's like I already know you."  
>Taya smiled at the pinkette. "In a way, you already do, sweetheart." Taya then pulled out her fake council badge. "You know what this is?"<br>Sarah nodded once more. "It's a council badge. You're part of the council?"  
>Taya nodded. "Only temporarily. I've been sent on a special mission, and you're part of that mission." Taya then placed her hands on Sora's shoulders. "Sarah, you're in grave danger, and the longer you stay here, the more danger you'll be in. You're also putting all of your friends, and your caretaker in danger as well."<br>Sora stared for moments on end. Finally she spoke again, clutching the doll into her person. "What did I do to be in danger?"  
>"I'll explain everything once we get you to a safe place okay?" Taya spoke with an endearing voice. She slowly pulled Sora into a hug, the pink haired slowly wrapping her hands around as well. "I'll have my team tell your caregiver where you are, so don't worry about them okay? They'll all be fine. We'll also buy you all the new clothes you want, because we don't have time to pack."<br>Sora nodded, agreeing with Taya's every word as she took her hand. Walking through the back door.  
>Maggie turned away from the door, baring her teeth as she clenched her fists. "Tayakata...! I'm going to..!"<br>Maggie made a bee line march towards Kiora. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket as she walked along the river bed. She then began a short incantation. Once completed, a black magic seal appeared on top of the flowing river and as if appearing from the water itself, another well sized demonic being appeared, pulling itself out of the circle. It was as tall as the other demons that so far appeared. It's skin colored faded between white and blue swirls. The same markings as the other demons trailed down it's back in an even darker blue. As the being manifested, Kiora looked over to see the commotion, but before she could react, a giant cyclone surrounded the children she was watching over. Nothing but screams of fear were heard, causing Kiora to panic as well. "What are you doing!? Stop!"  
>"If you want them to survive, don't move until I tell you to."<br>Kiora shook, but had no choice but to agree to the latter of the ultimatum. "What..are you going to do?"  
>With another small incantation, Maggie pressed her finger against Kiora's head. "Not much. Just bring you back to us, Kiora."<br>She instantly froze as a small black magic circle appeared against her forehead. As that went on, Maggie made a near unbearable noise, and seconds later, the stone demon that fought with the aces recently appeared with a hard landing, leaving a small crater under it's feet. Maggie then pointed to the daycare. "You, don't harm the pink haired one, but bring her to me. Kill the bloody black haired bitch and whoever she's with. She was last seen behind the daycare so hop to it!"

The demon then turned away from Maggie, and leaped once more, clearing the daycare with one bound.  
>Before the demon landed, Taya walked out with Sora. Everyone else stood around, and smiled or grinned once the two appeared. "She's so cute!" Melanie squealed. "Her eyes shine like stars." Saeko added. "And we both have pink hair! Can I adopt her please! We can be sisters!"<br>"Now that we got her, we should contact Lahar!" Kuro exclaimed.  
>"Right. Hey shrimp, you got the communication lacrima?" Gajeel turned to Levy, who didn't even answer. "Shrimp? Levy?"<br>Rylo blinked. "Levy?"  
>Levy then immediately turned to the magician. "Yes Rylo, here you are!" She shuffled through her bag, walking past Gajeel abruptly as she lifts the lacrima out her bag. "Seems she still hasn't forgiven you." Pantherlily says as he crossed his arms. "You think!?"<br>Heather smirked. "Good girl Levy, punish him."  
>"Don't encourage her!" Gajeel snapped back. Before Rylo could turn on the lacrima, the loud crash was heard. They looked over, noticing the large cloud of smoke. Out from that smoke, the stone demon stood. Eyes immediately widened, the males, Rylo and Gajeel immediately took the front lines as everyone stood in a defensive position behind them with Taya in the back, protecting Sora.<br>"Shit! That's the demon that Evanee fought!" Rylo says in his thoughts. "We're in trouble. We don't have a single ace here!"

Wendy and the others began sprinting towards the coffee shop that Mason told her they would be located. It took her a while to find everyone, but now with the team back together, they made a straight line for the shop. They turned a corner when Mason appeared out of nowhere, falling out of a portal and into the ground, back first. He groaned in pain as the others came to a stop.  
>"Mason!" Wendy yelled out. "What happened!? Where's Rugal!?"<br>Mason sat up as the others waited for a response. He rubbed his back in pain before finally speaking. "Rugal remembers, sort of. He's still a little foggy, but he's leaning back towards Tartaros. He used his stupid dimensional magic on me and flung me out the coffee shop."  
>"We have to hurry then!" Jaxon yelled. He and Waiston begin to take off, but as they run, they notice a bright light at the end of the street. That light sprung into the air like a tower. The light seemed to get closer with each passing second. That's because it was, and once it was in plain view, it could be seen uprooting the street violently as it rushed towards the mages. Jaxon pushed a by-standing Waiston out the way just in time as the towering light traveled until it finally dispersed. "What...the whole street is gone!" Wendy noted as she shivered at the sight. Serenity stood on the edge of the street, keeping her eyes forward. "Brace yourselves. It's a demon."<br>"What!?"  
>Jaxon's outburst was quickly followed with another blinding light shooting down from the sky. After another explosion, the light demon now stood in the mages' path. Without introduction, the demon crouched, a blinding light following it's motion. It then rushed towards the mages, ensuing battle.<p>

She bent down, petting the pitch black puppy as it licked her back. The pup had red eyes, though it seemed harmless. "Who's a good boy? Mommy missed you so much! You haven't eaten in six months have you!? You're all skin and bones!"  
>She continued to pet the red eyed dog, finally stopping as she stood back up next to her.<br>"It's been a while since I seen Cerberus as a puppy."  
>"I think it's because my magic is still recovering from it's dormant state, Maggie."<br>"Oi! I just thought you did that yourself! Anyways, besides that, how are you feeling, Kiora?"  
>Kiora looked back down at Cerberus, then her hands with a grin as a small black ball floated over her right hand. "I must say Maggie. Right now..<p>

I'm feeling hella rad."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Darkness and Light

"Demons are the ultimate tools for destruction. Each demon has their own ability to take over this country, Fiore alone. A mage's magic has limits. A demon's limit doesn't exist. It's a sponge that always absorbs, a plant that grows continuously, a sound that steadily grows in an endless volume. At some point, your ears will begin to bleed from that volume, but that won't stop the pitch from growing louder. A demon knows no sympathy. Killing you isn't enough, for a demon doesn't want a piece of it's opponent to exist. Wild animals... The ones you fear...they don't even have half the mentality of a demon. And now, with the book of Zeref, Tartaros will use these tools to build. We'll build our future; a future that includes neither Zeref, the one who betrayed us, or the wizards, the ones who tried to stop us. The real demons will walk this land once again. So says I, the King of Hell."

.

The stone demon began to charge an accumulation of "magic" in it's mouth. It then fired. Everyone but Rylo scattered as he pulled down his sleeve, creating a magic circle that attempted to absorb the blast. He just survived, barely absorbing it all as the demon's howl just stopped before he was unable to take anymore. Kuro slid to the demon's right, and Heather to it's left. "Fire make: Javelins!"  
>"Roar, of the Poison Dragon!"<br>"Nothing up my sleeve!"  
>The three attack in unison from each side except the back. The stone demon covers up as the attacks slam into it. With a single swing of it's arm, the demon wafts away the smoke that covered him, showing that it was barely scathed if at all. It then charged an off guard Rylo, aiming a hard right fist towards the magician. With no where to go, he covers his body with his arms in an X formation. The hard stone fist slammed into his arms, pushing the magician back in then process. Rylo stayed on his feet as he slid away, his feet uprooting the ground on the way. As he came to a stop, he could feel the painful throbbing in his right arm from the punch he cushioned. "Kch! What a brute!"<br>"Hey! Melanie!" Taya called over to the water dragon slayer. Melanie turned to acknowledge Taya. "Take Sarah and head to the northern city limit. Then contact Lahar!"  
>"I'll go with you!" Levy yelled as she grabbed the lacrima, and then ran ahead as Melanie followed with Sora in her arms.<br>As the two took off, Gajeel slid under the demon, and slammed a hard iron uppercut into it's abdomen. The demon hunched over only inches. It then retaliated by grabbing the dragon slayer. "Shit!" Gajeel was lifted into the air, and then slammed into the ground face first.  
>"Saeko, you should go with them, in case they run into any trouble." Kuro recited as he stood in front of her in a defensive stance.<br>"Will you be okay?" The pink haired mage asked Kuro. He took the time to turn around, giving her a genuine smile and a thumbs up. "We'll catch up soon!"  
>Saeko nodded, and then ran after Levy and Melanie.<br>The stone demon turned, spotting Saeko run from the battle at hand. {Don't harm the pink haired one, but bring her to me.}  
>Maggie's words rung through it's brain, and as Taya fired a few of her dark vectors towards the demon, it leaped away from the battle in it's entirety. The demon then landed in front of Saeko, cutting her off from her path.<br>"Saeko!" Kuro yelled, and immediately took off towards her and the demon. Saeko tried to come to a sliding stop, but she slid right into the demon's tight grasp. "It's got her!" Gajeel yelled as the others followed behind Kuro. Before they could reach, the demon leaped again, covering three times the space that any mage could do with running. With another leap, it made it's way to the river, temporarily out of sight. "Why did it take Saeko!?" Rylo asked as they ran.  
>"It probably mistook her for Sora." Taya replied. "It probably received unspecific orders. Grab the pink haired girl or something like that."<br>"No matter! Lets go get here before something happens!" Gajeel yelled as he noticed Kuro begin to pull away from the group with immense speed. Adrenaline was pumping through the red head as he ran after the demon. "We're coming!"

.

"Watch them Rugal. Watch these mages succumb to the inevitable. They tried to keep you from what you truly are. A mage of Tartaros."  
>Daityas and Rugal now stood on the roof of a building,<br>Watching the ensuing fight between the mages and the demon of light. With the expression oh Rugal's face, it was clear that he no longer possessed amnesia. The dimensional mage crossed his arms. "Hm, such pathetic beings; and to think we once allowed them to rival us. Us being everyone but you of course, Daityas. Even after all they've been through to fight us, you've yet to grace them with true power."  
>"There's been no need. They've gotten lucky. Zeref stopped the entire show, not allowing me to let loose when I had the perfect opportunity. Man I'm rusty." Daityas grins to his comment as he cracks his neck, as if he was about to participate. Instead, he refolds his arms over his chest as he continues to watch the struggle below them.<br>The demon charged past the blinding light, right for Jaxon. The weather mage happened to see the demon past the light just in time to dodge the incoming fatal blow. The mage still stood in shock, realizing that it was pure luck that allowed him to live for a bit longer. "I...the light is too much.."  
>"Keep your head up! This thing isn't special!" Waiston stated as he ran towards it. The demon cupped it's palms together as it held them forward. It aimed towards Waiston, and fired a beam of light. It traveled towards the frozen dragon slayer, and Waiston slid to a stop, and then stomped with his right foot. The stomp created a large iceberg that was used to his defense as the light beam drilled only ninety percent of the way through it before dispersing. That was enough to give Waiston a now cautious manner. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" Wendy appeared in the air as she dove for the demon. She then attacked with her Wing Slash attack, but before she could land a hit, the demon disappeared, like a light turning off. "Huh!?" The confused dragon slayer looked around, unsure of where the demon took off to. It appeared behind her. "Wendy!" Charla shouted. Wendy looked over to the exceed that caught her attention instead of behind her as the demon raised it's foot. It then stomped downward, aiming for the dragon slayers head.<br>The footprint left a well sized crater. The demonic being then turned to it's right, spotting a tumbling Mason and Wendy.  
>"You...saved me?" Wendy spoke in confusion. Mason sucked his teeth as he stood up, turning back to the demon. "Wow Wendy, I'm not evil, just mischievous."<br>The demon fully turned to them both, and began charing an oral attack. Immediately, Wendy took off to get out of the way. "Mason! Move!"  
>Wendy's call fell on deaf ears as Mason pulled out his slingshot, taking aim right for the demon's mouth. "Projectile magic don't fail me now." He spoke to himself as he closed an eye. He timed it perfectly, and then fired the seemingly harmless pellet. That pellet then ran through a magic seal that turned the projectile into a well sized flaming bullet. Right before the light demon fired it's oral attack, the flaming bullet entered it's mouth, causing an explosion mixed with the bullet and the light manifestation in it's mouth. The demon was now off balance, falling backwards as smoke poured from it's mouth. "Now! He's open!" Mason yelled, and the mages immediately took off towards the demon. "Raineedle!" By creating a blue magic seal over the demon, Jaxon extended his arms forward, and sent forth an erratic spray of boiling rain droplets. The rain came in with immense speed, continuously stinging the demon at an alarming rate with each drop. In that wave, over a thousand needle like rain drops connected with the demonic being. Adding on to the attack, as the demon leaned back due to yet being able to catch his balance, an ice blue magic seal appeared under the demon, and with another stomp to the ground, Waiston created another iceberg that fired upward from the ground, slamming into the demon's back and shooting it upward into the air. With the needle rain still activated, the demon continued to take the punishment as Wendy quickly ran up the iceberg until she reached the top. At the peak, she slid to a stop and quickly inhaled the air around her. "Roar, of the Sky Dragon!" She then fired her funnel, slamming into the demon's back as it roared in pain. "Lets finish it here." Serenity said with a grin. Jaxon turned to watch with Waiston. "Oh yeah, she's a demon slayer. Lets see it then.."<br>Serenity began channeling her magic, and once ready, her aura sky rocketed, causing the others to back away. She then took off in a blur, up the iceberg and leaping towards the demon. With Jaxon's rain coming to an end, she hovered over the demon. The light demon lifts it's head, the last thing it saw while in mid air, was Serenity with her arm cocked back. "Crushing fist, of the Darkness Demon!"  
>She swung downward, slamming the darkness magic infused fist into the demon's jaw. The impact caused a massive shockwave. Following that, the demon dive bombed into the ground, creating a giant crater once it landed. The mages stood in shock and awe as Serenity slowly fell to the ground, landing in a crouch before standing back up proudly. "...Aces are scary." Mason said to himself. "I wonder...how Roy fairs up against them.."<br>"You fools think you won?" His voice projected. The mages turned to see Daityas and Rugal standing on a northern building. "Rugal!" Mason yelled. Rugal began laughing. "Yes kid, it's me, /Rugal./ Thank you for helping me remember who I am."  
>Mason ducked his head in guilt as the others turned to him, narrowing their eyes. "My bad, okay?"<br>"If you think a demon is easily beaten like that, check again."  
>Rugal and Daityas both pointed to the crater, and leaping from it, was the demon of light. Bruises were evident, but it leaped out of the crater as if it was perfectly fine. "I'm already tired of this city. Oshibana was never a favorite place of mine." Daityas then turned to the demon. "Demon of light..."<br>The demon looked up at it's two masters. Rugal then finished the sentence as he gave a thumbs down. "Turn the lights out on this city."  
>"Turn the lights out?" Serenity arched a brow in confusion. "What are they..."<br>Rugal and Daityas began walking away, Rugal opening a portal and then closing it once they entered. Once the two left, the demon let out a loud yell. It then began inhaling what seemed like the air around it.  
>"Another howl huh?" Waiston says as he slid into a defensive position. As the others did the same, they began to notice that it was becoming darker around them, as if the sun was setting. Jaxon looked up, noticing the sun was still well in the air. "What's happening!?"<br>Serenity's eyes then flashed open. "Can it really do that!?"  
>"Do what!?" Mason asked in a panic. "What's happening!?" Wendy added.<br>"It's...absorbing the sunlight. This city is about to fall into darkness..."  
>Eyes widened everywhere. "And it's getting stronger!" Waiston pointed out as the demon continuously bulked up. "We don't have time to evacuate the entire city do we!? What now!?"<br>Serenity stood quietly as she thought to herself. "...I may have to..."

.

"..." Maggie stood there as the demon presented Saeko to her and Kiora. Kiora began to snicker as Maggie's head vein began to throb comically. She clenched her fists in the same manner and then punched the demon in the back of it's head. "You idiot! The little pink haired girl! Not some bloody teenage bimbo from White Eclipse! You're supposed to kill her! I swear to Zeref if they got away I'm going to-"  
>Kiora, while once hunched over laughing, looked up to see more females running their way. One of them, was Sora. "Hey Maggie! Look!" Maggie looked to where Kiora was pointing, and grinned after sighing in relief. "Okay, the idiots brought her right to us."<br>Levy and Melanie quickly stop in their tracks, now realizing that Maggie and Kiora were now standing there along with two demons. They both attempted to turn about, but as they did, the aquatic demon was already blocking their path.  
>"Hand over Sora." Maggie demanded.<br>"Never!" Melanie yelled, leaving the pink haired girl with Levy. "And her name is Sarah!"  
>Kiora then took a step forward. "No you idiot, her name is Sora! Sora, get over here right now or I'll rip whatever dolls you have heads off. I'm not bluffing this time!"<br>"I'll melt them blokes into nothing I swear it!" Maggie added. "You are the master of shadow puppets! Not some homeless kid stuck being the oldest around some ninny rug runners! You are the youngest Tartaros Mage ever, now get over here and act like it! Remember who you are you spoiled little brat! The real Sora wouldn't let me call her these bloody terms without some type of retaliation! Remember who you are!"  
>Though Levy covered Sarah's ears, the girl could hear just enough for a blurry memory to begin inside her head.<br>{FlashBack}  
>"The group were sitting in the main room together. Kiora had just kicked Tobias off of the couch they shared for no apparent reason as she stretched out.<br>"Uncalled for!" Tobias yelled as he turned to Kiora in anger. Kiora simply yawned as Tobias showed his dislike for her actions. "Shut up Tobias. Go make me something, I'm hungry."  
>"Why you..!" Tobias took a step towards Kiora, only to have a snarling, semi grown Cerberus snarl at him, causing Tobias to halt his actions. Over to the right, Rugal and Mithril sat together. Mithril's massive size caused him to need two chairs to sit as the two played a board game. Quickly Mithril was checkmated. "Game." Rugal says. Mithril huffs, and then flips the board as he stands. "Games are stupid. They don't help you become strong at all."<br>"That's where you're wrong, Mithril. Games like these can help your thinking process."  
>Mithril cocked a brow towards Rugal. "The only thing I need to think about is killing. Then I always come out on top."<br>"That's why no one wants to train with you, ya big lumux. You almost killed Tobias last time." Kiora then took note of her own words, and turned to Tobias with a grin. "Hey Tobias, you're looking a little weak. You should train with Mirhril again soon. Like now."  
>"Ha...ha... Asshole." Tobias walked off to the other side of the room. At that time, Maggie kicked the guild doors open, holding the hand to a little girl as she happily walked in.<br>Ruika then arched a brow as she looked up from filing her nails. "Maggie, you have something stuck to your hand."  
>"I know that mate! Meet our newest member!"<br>Everyone looked at Maggie as if she lost her mind. Arcturus, who was standing next to Daityas and Taya, finally spoke. "Maggie, she looks five years old."  
>"I'm seven." The little girl says as an introduction. Maggie snickers a bit. "Her name is Sora and she was abandoned by her parents. Sora, tell them what you want to do once you find your parents, sweetheart."<br>Sora looked into Daityas' eyes with no fear as she then spoke. "Kill them for leaving me."  
>Daityas stared a bit longer. Finally, a smirk came across his face. "Funny, she really meant that. I could see it in her eyes."<br>Taya then walked over towards Sora. Sora clutched the doll in her hands a bit tighter as Taya bent down, patting her on the head once. "A murderous kid sister huh? You kind of remind me of my own. So I'm all for it."  
>"Sorry! This one's mine." Maggie says as she pulls Sora away from Taya.<br>"Maggie can we share!?" Kiora asked as she hopped off the couch. "Yeah we can!" Maggie replied as Kiora now stood beside Sora, putting her in the middle of the three.  
>"Wait, the real question remains." Tobias says as he points at the kid. "What can she do?"<br>Kiora and Maggie began laughing. "You're telling me you haven't sensed it yet!?" Maggie asked as she kept laughing.  
>"Sense what?" Tobias asked. He scratched his head in confusion, and as he removed his hand, he felt something wet on it. He checked his hand, and now noticed the crimson liquid on it. He then turned around, noticing his shadow standing right beside him with it's finger against his temple. "She's a shadow puppeteer." Tobias slowly said. "She could of ended me huh?"<br>Sora then pointed towards the male, not saying anything for a full minute until she finally spoke once more. "Shut up Tobias."  
>"Yes!" Kiora and Maggie cheered. "She's going to fit right in! Welcome to the family, Sora!"<br>{End Flashback}  
>"S...Sora... My name is Sora..." The pinkette spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear. Kiora and Maggie smiled. "Yes! That's right, your name is Sora. The shadow puppeteer!"<br>"Shadow...puppeteer..." Sora looked at her hands. Levy then pushed her hands against her ears a bit tighter. "Stop it!" The solid script mage yelled. "Shut up you slag! How dare you try to keep us from family! You're like a raging hypocrite right now with your gay nakama preachings, and now you're trying to keep us from ours!? Hand her over or-"  
>Kiora then pointed to the cyclone, and the stone demon that held on to Saeko. "Or this is what's really going down you goody two shoes! Trade us Sora for either your friend here, or the kids stuck in this cyclone! Either way, someone is going to die today because you hesitated in giving Sora back! If you keep Sora, we'll kill the kids and your friend, because we'll get to Sora eventually! So what's it going to be!?"<br>Levy was more than unsure what to do. She looked back towards Melanie who was also shaking in fear of making the wrong decision. Saeko then lowered her head. "They'll trade you for the kids in the cyclone.."  
>"Saeko!"<br>She shook her head, then smiled. "My guild will understand. We'll just count this one as a loss. The stars tell me this is the best selection."  
>"Well then, hurry up and hand her over before we crush them both anyways. I'm growing impatient." Levy had no choice as she listened to Kiora's words. She slowly stood up, relieving her hands from Sora's ears. Sora was still stuck in a daze of foggy memories as they took their first step. Before Levy could take another, two hard right kicks slammed into the chin of the stone demon, causing it to drop Saeko. Kuro catches the astrology mage in his arms as Rylo and Gajeel land from their flying kicks.<br>"What the!?" Maggie watched as the demon slid past her, face down in the dirt. It quickly hopped back up, but that wasn't Maggie's concern. As that happened, Melanie quickly took off towards the whirlpool. She then came to a sliding stop, placing her hands against it. The second she touched it, the whirpool began to violently scratch her hands. She flinched in pain. "Come on Melanie, you're the only water mage here! You're a dragon slayer at that!" Melanie took a deep breath, and then pushed herself through. Now inside the whirpool, she was already floating in and out of consciousness from the violently spinning wall of water she had to enter. Thirty nine kids, all huddled up and crying; sitting in the middle so they don't come in contact with the violent whirpool. Melanie then created magic seal under them. Following soon after, a giant bubble overcame them. Melanie hopped on top of the bubble as it floated upward and out of the whirpool. Just in time too as the whirpool began to close with force. The bubble just made it out, and Melanie landed it away from Maggie Kiora and their Demons.  
>"Now you don't have any of the three!" Levy exclaimed. Taya clenched her fists as she made her way to the front of the group, glaring at both Maggie and Kiora. "You two have been a problem for too long. Even after half a year, you're still an annoyance."<br>"An annoyance!?" Kiora retaliated. "You're the annoying one! I'm going to kill you here! I'm tired of you thinking you have a chance against the world' greatest duo!"  
>"Oi! On the real! It's the end for you, Tayakata. We'll kill all of you, making the dark vector mage's death even sweeter!"<br>"Levy." The solid script mage looked towards Taya, who kept her eyes on the duo. "Nothing's changed. Take Sarah away from here."  
>"You can stop calling me that. I know my name is Sora now, but until I can understand everything, I'll go with you, Taya." Sora's words caused Levy to nod, and the two begin to run off.<br>"Don't let then escape!" Kiora yelled to her demon. The aquatic demon then leaped towards them, only to be kicked out the air by a returning Melanie. The demon landed on it's feet, as well as Melanie as she held a stance; Levy and Sora running off behind her.

.

The group met back in the middle of Onibus. Sidney, Reve and Zalen were already there as the others arrived. Laxus and the Raijinshū appear next, followed by Tristan. They all stood in a circle to report. "Nothing..." Tristan spoke first as he shrugged. "Searched my entire area. Houses and all too."  
>"Same for me and Zalen." Reve replied. "Couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."<br>"I guess it's safe to say we can move out of Onibus then.." Laxus says as the Raijinshū stands behind him. "We would get one of the misses!" Bickslow huffs out, his floating dolls repeating his last word behind him.  
>"No matter, it just means this one is safe, and we'll move to Lahar's next chosen location." Freed nodded. Evergreen then sighed. "This is a lot of traveling though."<br>"Cry a bit more." Reve commented, causing Evergreen to turn to him. "What was that?" She asked, daring him to repeat what he said.  
>"We don't have time for whiners. If you're done, then leave. If not then shut up."<br>Reve was about to walk off, until a hand grabbed his shoulder. "Look Evergreen get over-" Reve turned around, expecting it to be Ever, only to find Laxus himself glaring towards the gunslinger. "That's your warning, don't talk to Ever that way, understood?"  
>Reve's shocked expression slowly turned into a grin, he then slapped Laxus' arm away. "You don't scare me, Laxus. You barely pose a threat, let alone strike fear in me."<br>Laxus watched as Reve walked off to the city limits, with Sidney and Zalen beside him. The Raijinshū then followed. Tristan brought up the rear, shaking his head. "Hopefully we don't run into anything. We can't even function as a team right now.."

.

Jaxon and the others were seen running towards the city limits, ushering the civilians out of the city as fast as they could. Everyone was there, except Serenity.  
>{Minutes before.}<br>"What are we going to do!?" Mason yelled in a panic. He then turned to Serenity. "You're a demon slayer! Help us before we die!"  
>Serenity stared for a bit longer, and then turned to the others. "Get everyone out. As many as you can. I'll handle this."<br>"Are you insane!?" Jaxon asked as he turned back to Serenity.  
>"Just do it before we all go!"<br>"Ain't gotta tell me twice." Mason says as he begins sprinting towards the end of the city. The other mages soon follow, forcing the city to evacuate. As Serenity stood there, it became darker and darker. Pitch black was coming soon, and Serenity began to grin as the light slowly faded. "One shot at this."  
>{Now}<br>Jaxon and Waiston ushered the rest just out of the city limits, passing the sign that said "Oshibana. The city of color."  
>The mages then turned back to the city, watching as darkness fell upon the entire city.<br>Serenity stood in front of the demon, yet to make a move as the demon continued to inhale the light that covered the city. There was barely any light left, and that's when Serenity's grin grew into a sadistic smile. "As the Darkness Demon Slayer, I must tell you. You absorbing light, only gives me the opportunity to absorb the darkness. Die in the grey!" After her declaration, Serenity began inhaling the now pitch black that covered the city. As she did, the darkness was being absorbed, leaving everything a grey color as the darkness was continually pulled into her. Halfway through her pull, the demon of light was ready to attack, and it wasn't planning on waiting on Serenity. The demon crossed it's arms, and a light began to shine from it. Serenity continued to inhale, trying to beat the demon to the punch. She was asking for a miracle. The light around the demon grew larger and larger. At the same time, Serenity just finished absorbing the pitch black that covered the city. Everything now stood in a grey. The entire city without light nor darkness. Serenity quickly slapped her palms together, and let out a loud war cry as her magic power shook the entire city. "I'll end you right here!" Was her last words as her and the demon simultaneously lifted their hands into the air.

"It seems like we'll have to get you a new demon, Rugal."  
>"That's find, Daityas. Light isn't really my thing anyways."<p>

A small stint of light appeared, followed by a massive explosion that knocked everyone that stood just outside the city limits off their feet. Mason went tumbling backwards until Jaxon caught him, holding his ground from the wind as the city raptured into nothing. Not a single building nor piece of rubble was left. Everyone looked on in utter disbelief. The city of Oshibana was completely cleared out. There was only visible thing in the middle of the city. It was Serenity, laying face down on the ground. Her clothes were completely torn and her body was completely cut and bruised. Waiston and the others ran over to her. He bent down to check her pulse.  
>"...She's alive! But we shouldn't touch her, she looks like she could go any second."<br>"How did she even survive that!?" Jaxon asked, astonished. Wendy then bent down towards her, hovering her hands over the Black Phoenix Ace. "I'll heal her the best I can, but she needs help!"  
>"I'll call Lahar!" Jaxon says as he reaches for the communication lacrima. Mason then sat down, folding his legs as he watched Wendy attempt to heal Serenity. "If that's what it's going to take to beat a demon...<p>

We're screwed."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Running From Trouble! Saeko's Bold Stand!

Gray and Rem stood off against each other in the middle of Magnolia. Gray stood in his ice make stance as Rem was crouched and ready to retaliate. Gray kept a grin on his face as his frosty aura began to surface around his hands. Rem held a magic seal in his hands as he waited for the ice maker to make a move.  
>"You know, we're supposed to be working together.." Rem says, keeping the anxious grin on his face.<br>"It's too bad you don't know how to cooperate." Gray replied. Behind their respective guild mates, were Juvia and the navy blue haired girl that belonged to Aurora Pistola. The navy haired shook her head in disappointment. "Baka! Stop fighting!" She yelled, her fist clenched to her sides as she yelled at Rem. Rem scoffs, acknowledging yet ignoring her request. On the other side, Juvia was in her typical schtick, ogling over the now shirtless Gray Fullbuster.  
>"Well then!? Make a move!" They both called out simultaneously.<br>{Minutes before.}  
>"We should split up. We'll cover more ground that way." Rem says as they stood in the middle of Magnolia. Gray shrugged. "I feel like we got the short end of the stick. We're in this city all the time. We would of noticed a Tartaros mage by now. So really, there's no need to split up. Lets just get a simple walkthrough going and then call it a day."<br>Rem became a little peeved by Gray's attitude. "That's not what we were told to do.."  
>The ice maker shrugs once more. "It's the logical thing to do though. We could move on to a different city faster because I guarantee you there's nothing here out of the ordinary."<br>"Still." Rem retaliated once more. "I don't want to be responsible for anything if we did skip over Magnolia just because you're always here."  
>Gray then ignored Rem's latest statement, walking off as Juvia followed. "Gray-Sama wait!" She called out as she chased behind. Rem then turned to the girl. "Lets go Yuki. Everyone was right. Fairy Tail is too slow to follow simple instructions. Must suck to be so incompetent."<br>Gray stopped, turning back to Rem. "You won't come over here and say that. I won't let some no name mage from a no name guild talk about Fairy Tail and walk away unscathed."  
>It was now Rem that stopped in his tracks. "No name huh? I'll give you a name to remember then. How's that?"<br>{Now}  
>"Bring it on!" The two mages charge each other. Rem reared his fist back as Gray held his Cold Excalibur. Right before the two could ensue in combat, a wall of ice appeared between them. On Rem's side, Yuki stood with her arms out against the ice wall, glaring towards her guild mate. Rem took note of her glare and stopped his actions. Gray halted as well, but held a completely different demeanor. "W-what!? This is ice make! Hey!" He pounded his fist on the wall of ice. Yuki sighed as if she knew what was coming next. She dropped the ice wall to turn and face the mage. "Who taught you ice make huh!? Only Ur knows this magic! So how did you learn!?"<br>Yuki then began walking past Gray. "I don't owe you an explanation." Before she could walk by, Gray grabbed her by her right arm. "Let me go!" She yelled, squirming in pain. Gray gave her the coldest of glares. "Not until you tell me who you learned your magic from!"  
>"Gray-Sama, you're hurting her.." Juvia didn't move as she watched Gray twist her arm. Finally, Rem shoved Gray off of Yuki and to the ground. He quickly hopped up, now facing an angered Rem. "If she doesn't want to talk, then leave her be; and don't touch her ever again, or you'll regret it."<br>Giving gray no time to react, Rem and Yuki walk in the direction they were headed. Upset himself, Gray too walked away, past Juvia who watched the other two for a few more seconds, and then turned to catch up with Gray.  
>"How does she know ice make? Ur taught us and she's gone. There can't be more who know how to use it, is there?"<br>The entire time, Mathias and Trinity stood watching the confrontation and then the split. Mathis shook his head, and then turned to Trinity. "Follow Aurora Pistola and I'll take Fairy Tail."  
>Trinity gave a wave, and then began walking towards the leaving Rem and Yuki. Mathis watched, and the turned about face to catch up to Gray and Juvia.<p>

.

Taya slid back, uprooting the ground with her feet until she once again jumped out of the way of an incoming downward punch by Kiora. Her punch left a fist sized crater in the ground. She then checked her hands. "Tch! I'm not at full strength yet." She then looked back at Cerberus to confirm her assumptions, noticing the shadow hound's growth. He was much bigger than recently, yet still no where near his up to date size. Maggie however was as she appeared behind Taya who just landed. She slung her lava whip towards the mage, Taya blocking with a small wall of dark vectors. As she defended against the magma whip, Taya then turned her eyes towards Kiora, stalking her like a vulture. "You're still not there yet huh!?" Taya exclaimed as she dashed towards her. Kiora sneered as she took a step back. "How dare you. I'll still chop your ugly head off!" She gripped a shadow like orb in her hands, creating her patented scythe, except the scythe wasn't as long as it usually was. Still, she held the weapon in her hands, and slung it downward. A trail of slicing shadow magic rushed towards Taya. She quickly swayed out the way, never losing momentum as she charged towards Kiora. Everything slowed down as Taya was now face to face with Kiora with her arm reared back for a devastating dark vector infused punch. Before she could land her hit, the stone demon slid in out of nowhere, grabbing Taya's entire body with one hand as it held her to it's eye level. It then began to squeeze, causing Taya to let out an muffled yell. Heather quickly countered by quickly scaling the demon from behind. She leaped from it's leg to it's arm, and then leaped towards it's head. "Poison Dragon's talon!" She yelled as she fired an axe kick infused with her poison dragon slaying magic. The kick connected, causing the demon to drop Taya. She landed on her feet as the demon took a few steps back. Gajeel then slid into position, now covered in his iron scales. "Iron Dragon's Hard fist!"  
>He attacked the head again, slamming his dominant fist into the skull of the stone demon. The being fell to the ground from Gajeel's strength.<br>"Annoying!" Kiora yelled. Kuro attempted to catch her off guard as he slid into a fire makes stance behind the Fatal Embodiment. Kiora turned away once noticing.  
>"Fire make: Tornado!"<br>Kuro slammed his hands downward, creating a flaming tornado that rushed towards Kiora. In the same fashion, the Fatal Embodiment created her own twister made of shadows. The two collided in a stalemate, finally dispersing into nothing. "Kch, tying with a brat. How annoying."  
>Kuro stood in a bit of shock. "She's not at full power either? How...she wasn't this strong last time. With Daityas' training, plus all the training I've been through recently...there's no way she should of matched that at full power let alone the state she's in now!"<br>"Kuro!" Taya yelled to grab his attention. Just in time as he quickly dove away from an incoming whip of magma. Maggie then took center stage. "Lets even this out a bit more." She spoke, and the raised her arms upward slowly. From four magic seals, four well sized magma golems appeared, quickly picking out targets. Maggie then turned towards Kiora. "Lets go after those bimbos who took Sora."  
>"Aye! Look at you on the ball!" Kiora grinned, and they both took off where Levy and Saeko headed.<br>"Get back here!" Taya yelled. She ran after them, but was quickly cut off by an incoming punch from a golem. She placed both of her arms up as a shield to cushion the blow as she slid backwards. Four golems and a demon now stood in the mages way.  
>By herself however...<br>Melanie continues to hop away on the defensive against the aquatic demon. She leaped away from another stretched out punch by the demon, and took it as an opening as she charged in. She slung a hand forward, firing off a funnel of her aquatic magic, but the demon easily parried it, slapping to the side. It then countered by wrapping an elongated whip made from it's water around Melanie's waist. Before she could react, Melanie was slung into the air, and then back down into the ground, letting out an agonizing yell. The demon repeated it's process, about four more to be exact, until Melanie was able to wiggle out of it's hold. Already in a critical state, she was perched on her hands and knees, panting heavily. "What's wrong with me? Demon or not..water is my element... I should take it down easily. I will take it down!" Melanie quickly stood, preparing to inhale the air around her, but the demon beats her to the punch once more, slamming a elongated left fist into her abdomen. The punch sent her flying into the closest tree. She tumbled a bit more through the ground until finally coming to a stop. She was gasping for a second wind, miracles not providing her with one as the demon stalked her.

"Melanie needs help!" Rylo yelled.  
>"A lot of people need help!" Gajeel coldly responded as he slammed his iron fists repeatedly into the golem he was facing.<br>"Tch, here we go.." Rylo created a magic seal in front of him. Out stepped a celestial being, a woman, who wore a long red dress and heels. "My lovely assistant, take Kuro's opponent!"  
>The celestial woman bowed towards the magician, and then took off towards Kuro, sliding in with a hard kick against the golem's head, leading with her heel. Rylo then ducked a punch from his opponent, and began sprinting off towards Melanie. "Kuro! Go help Saeko and Levy!"<br>"Right!" Kuro nodded, and then slapped his hands together. "Fire make: Hermes!" On his feet, four small flaming wings appeared, enhancing Kuro's speed as he took off in a near blur, leaving a small trail of fire behind as he left. Gajeel snarls at first, but then turned to the now two golems in front of him. "Gihehe! Two on one!? I'm okay with that! Bring it on!"

The aquatic demon stood over Melanie, both arms raised over it's head as it looked to deal the final blow. As it swung it's fists downward, Rylo slid in just in time, scooping a crucial injured Melanie into his arms and away from the fatal fists. The demon turned it's head to the right, and snarled at the magician as Rylo placed his guild mate down against the root of a tree. "Hang on Melanie. We'll get you help as soon as this is over. Evanee would have my head if you were to be done here." As Rylo stood, the gentle smile he held while talking to Melanie, quickly vanished as he turned his head towards the demon. He clenched a fist. "With my assistant out, I'm low on magic. But that thing isn't getting away with Melanie's condition." He then walked away from Melanie, making sure to keep the demon's attention, which he did. Rylo then crouched into a fighting stance, waving for the demon to charge him.

.

"The entire city was destroyed!?" Lahar spoke in shock as he communicated through the lacrima to the group that was once patrolling Oshibana city.  
>"Yeah." Jaxon responded. "Serenity killed the demon, but it cost the entire city and nearly her life. Wendy is trying to heal her but she can only do so much. So the faster you can get a medical team here.."<br>"Right. We'll be right there. Once we can pick her up, the rest of you head to your next post. We'll bring someone to take her place. This also means we need to speed up our search."  
>"Lahar, Serenity's health is top priority so the sooner you get off the lacrima."<br>"Right, standby Jaxon." Lahar salutes, and then cuts connection between the two.  
>"Standby. As if I'm going anywhere." Jaxon huffed, and then turned to the others. "How is she?"<br>Wendy kept her hands hovered over the Ace. "She's breathing...but that's all. Still the same really."  
>"I wonder how bad it really was." Mason says as he continued to watch. "Like, how did it look when she was hit?"<br>Waiston raised a brow as he turned to the young boy. "You're pretty calm about this, like she's guaranteed survival." His comment caused Mason to shrug with a scowl, lifting his hands to the back of his head right after as he turned away. "I've seen things. This is nothing new to me."  
>"Seen things like what?" Waiston asked.<br>"Like get off my back frosty that's what! I don't ask you why you wear that torn up ugly jacket, so don't ask me about my life!"  
>Waiston bared his teeth quietly, standing up to prepare to make his way towards Mason. "I'm real sick of you already."<br>"Okay enough!" Charla yelled as she stood in between the two mages. Mason scoffed. "I wasn't about to fight this chump anyways." Mason grinned, and Waiston snarled a bit more. "Chump? I'll bury you into the ground kid!"  
>"Waiston. Let it go." Waiston turned back to his friend the weather mage, then took a deep breath and turned back to Wendy and Serenity, quietly watching. Mason continued to grin, knowing that Jaxon was watching him on behalf of Waiston. "That kid. His magic is tediously dangerous."<p>

.

"Matza Valley? A strange place for her to end up in." Rugal says as he and Daityas walk out of the dimensional portal he created. Daityas crossed his arms as he scanned the valley's highs and lows from his position. "It was said that she was around here. And besides Rugal, the spell had nothing to do with location; just memory loss and personality. Maggie was a First Lady or something of a mage mafia. You know how she likes nice things. Then I bet you anything that Kiora is running a scam. You know how she loves money and ripping people off. Sora is probably an abandoned or parentless child somewhere. You were playing board games and flexing your intellect. Now it's Ruika's turn. It doesn't matter where she is, she'll be doing something that she would be doing anyways. My guess is taking something that she wants, that obviously doesn't belong to her. Or at least getting someone to do it for her."  
>Rugal nodded while chuckling. "That's Ruika. If she wants it, she makes sure she gets it." After Rugal's statement, Daityas hops down, and begins his way down the hill they stood upon. "Come on, the search shouldn't take long with two of us."<p>

Somewhere deep within Matza Valley, Ruika sat on a chair, her feet propped up on a table as she leaned back. Behind her, a group of thugs stood over her, eyeing everyone else in the building, as if daring someone to come close to her. Ruika sat there with her arms crossed and eyes closed. A small smirk was plastered on her face as she began to rock back and forth in her seat. As she did so, slight jingles could be heard from her waist. Around one of her belt loops, were seemingly normal keys. The black and white haired female then opened her eyes. As she did, one of the thugs came around to her line of sight. "Are you ready to eat, Miss Blair?" The thug asked her. Ruika shifted her eyes to him, the only signification he needed as he then yelled to the kitchen. "Hey! Get in here now!"  
>Out of the kitchen, a timid cook slowly rolled a cart of dishes to the table. Everyone else in the restaurant remained quiet as the cook placed the dishes around the table. Ruika then waved the cook away. The cook bowed and then quickly exited back into the kitchen. Ruika removes her feet and before she could left the first dish, she spotted someone looking her way. Her eyes shifted to the random completely, and immediately two thugs grabbed him and drug him towards the female. "You looking at the boss lady!?" One of the thugs asked. "No! Not at all! Please let me be!"<br>Ruika stared, emotionless, finally cracking a smirk as she raised her hand. She then snapped her fingers, and on command, the thugs threw the random out the window in a violent manner. Outside, a row of magic motorcycles, each with an SE plug could be seen. Back inside, the thug raised his voice. "We aren't going to tell you again! Don't make eye contact with the boss lady! This magic cycle gang right here will quickly toss you out. She's here to eat and nothing else!"  
>Ruika then began eating the food in front of her as the swarm of thugs stood behind her with their arms crossed continuously scanning for their next victim.<p>

On the opposite of Matza Valley, Mirajane, Erza, Ceaser, and Kairi, who were just recently called in by Lahar not too long ago, make their way down the valley hills. They travel through the "city," which was really random houses and buildings along different paths. Staying upon the main one, the four continued to walk ahead. As they did, they easily noticed the timidness the civilians portrayed as they backed away from the walking mages. Erza shifted her eyes as they walked on. "Something is definitely wrong here."  
>"It's kind of annoying how they're backing away from us." Ceaser added. He curled his lip towards a woman who was already moving out of his path, causing Kairi to nudge the giant. "That isn't helping Ceaser."<br>"I wonder what has them so afraid of us?" Mirajane asked. Just then, a smaller boy just off to her left answered her question. "It's not your fault." The group stopped walking to spot the boy sitting on a barrel off to the side. He hops off the barrel and walks over to them, just stopping short. "It's the gang that just entered the valleys. A bunch of magic cycle riders, being led by the woman came in and ransacked everyone."  
>"A woman huh?" Erza then crossed her arms over her armor played chest. "Can you describe this woman?"<br>The boy nodded. "She has two different color eyes, and black and white hair. They call her Blair."  
>"That sounds like Ruika to me." Mirajane says as she turns to Erza. She then turned back to the boy. "Where are they now?"<br>The boy then pointed towards the northwest, in the middle of the valley. "They were last seen all sitting inside The Valley Diner. I don't know how long they'll be there though. They've already swept through this have of Matza Valley, and I'm sure they'll soon take out the other half as well."  
>Kairi then bowed to the young boy. "Thanks kid. Alright, we should move before we lose- and we lost Ceaser." Kairi sighed and hung her head as Erza and Mirajane looked in confusion. "He was just here." Mira says. Kairi then gave a disappointed wave of surrender. "This happens all the time. His attention span is too small for him to cooperate for too long."<br>"We'll have to go without him." Erza states as she begins to jog off. "We don't want to waste any time, so lets go!"

.

Levy continued to run with Sora by her side. Already contacting Lahar while she had the opportunity, she continued to book it towards the city exit where a carriage would be waiting for them. Behind her, was Saeko. She gradually caught up with the two, now right behind them as they sprinted out through the plains of Dawn City. They didn't get too far however, before the duo of Kiora and Maggie made theirselves known. "Get back here!" Maggie yelled. She then swung her right hand in a golf swing like fashion, a line of magma charging the three of them. Levy clutched Sora, and dove out of the way to the right, while Saeko dove to the left. As she made her way up to her feet, Saeko could see the city limits. She then turned to Levy. "Levy! Keep...keep running! I'll hold them off the best I can!"  
>Levy then turned to Saeko. "What...? That's suicide."<br>"Keeping Sora safe is more important right now. It's for a good cause, so keep running!" Saeko stood up completely, and was now standing in between Levy and the duo. Levy hesitated, but finally decided to not let Saeko's actions go to waste as she began running with Sora once again.  
>Saeko now stood off against the two Tartaros mages. Maggie began chuckling, causing her and Kiora to burst into laughter. "This puny mage? She's gonna stop us?"<br>Kiora then took a step forward. "I can beat her easily, and my magic hasn't fully recovered yet. Lets do this. I got this Maggie."  
>Maggie gave her partner a dismissive wave. "All yours chap. I'll go get the nerd and Sora."<br>"No ones leaving!" Sora yelled as she turned to Maggie who began jogging away. Her distraction was enough as Saeko appeared next to her, slamming a hard right hook into her jaw. Saeko fell to the ground, feet away and back first. "They fall for it every time!" Kiora shouted.  
>"Guess what she did!?" Maggie yelled aloud.<br>Kiora responded with the utmost excitement. "She must be stuffed because SHE ATE THAT!" The two girls continued to jump around with each other around Saeko. Maggie was then the first to stop as she slowed her laughter. "Alright..lets go get Sora."  
>"Right right." Kiora nodded, and attempted to follow Maggie, but as she took her first step, Saeko grabbed her ankle. "Huh?" Kiora looked down to see a struggling Saeko push herself back up. "Wow, that usually knocks them out."<br>Saeko continued to push upward, using Kiora as a crutch. Maggie turned around as well. "Hey Maggie, you go ahead. I'm gonna have some fun here."  
>Maggie then rolled her eyes. "Whatever mate, just don't get carried away." With that statement, she began running off as Kiora stood over the hunched over Saeko, cracking her knuckles. "I'm going to make you beg for mercy, and then death."<br>Saeko then pushed Kiora away, causing her to stumble away due to being caught off guard. A grin came over the pinkette's face. "The stars told you that you were the weaker of the two. So I'm glad my fake injury was well enough acted to make you believe you'd have an easy time against me one on one." Saeko slowly stood, no longer wincing in pain from the blow she took. She wiped the mark from her cheek as a magic seal appeared under her. "Levy should be okay by now. But I'll still take you on. For the sake of representing my guild.

White Eclipse!"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Protection

"But I'll still take you on. For the sake of representing my guild. White Eclipse!"  
>Kiora stood across from Saeko, empty handed as she grinned towards the pinkette. She waited, as Saeko continued to focus her magic power inside the magic seal she stood upon. With her hair wavering upward, she kept her sights on the Fatal Embodiment. "I'll stop her here. They wouldn't have it any other way. My guild is counting on me.<br>{Flashback}  
>"And here comes Saeko bringing up the rear again."<br>"Like I was saying, now that cardio is over, you'll all pair up and spar. Different partners then yesterday of course. Variety will help a lot in your improvement, and don't forget to keep up with your win-loss record."  
>Everyone began partnering up, leaving Saeko in the middle, seemingly too timid to ask anyone who hasn't been grabbed. Reve and Taya stood at the guild entrance, watching her as she stood there. "So, why did you recruit her again?" Taya asked. "Not that I wouldn't have, because I don't believe in recruitment, but honestly, I don't see much in her."<br>Reve gave a shrug. "At first, I thought I did. She seemed chock full of potential, and an astrology mage? That's rare right? She's the only one I've seen or heard of. But, it's been a while since she's been here and she hasn't shown anything, not even improvement. Almaz came in here with amazing magic and no fighting sense or strength. Even though he's still finishing last, he's steadily improving. Saeko on the other hand, has yet to show me anything. I don't know Taya, I thought I had a good hunch with this one, but it seems I was wrong."  
>"Hm.." Taya folded her arms as she waited for Saeko to gather the courage to ask someone to be her partner. That which didn't happen. Finally, Kuro jogs over to her, stopping right in front of her.<br>"Hey..Saeko!" Kuro calls out to the pinkette as he rubs the back of his head in a nervous fashion. Staring at the snowy ground, Saeko looks up, and blinks once as she notices Kuro in front of her. "...Kuro?"  
>"Ho-How would you like to be my partner!? I would love to test my magic against yours! If you don't mind I mean.."<br>She blinked again, followed by a smile slowly appearing upon her face. Unable to contain her excitement and gratitude, she happily nodded, now smiling ear to ear. "Yes! Thank you!"  
>A crimson stripe appeared on Kuro's face as he returned the smile to Saeko. Taya grinned as well as she kept watching. Reve merely shook his head as the two began their spar.<br>{End Flashback}  
>"This is for the day I held Kuro back. For the day that Reve and Taya accurately doubted me. I will stop her!"<br>"Hey!" Kiora yelled as she waved to the pinkette. "We gonna start or what!? You're boring me!"  
>On cue, after Kiora finished her statement, Saeko pushed both of her palms out. From her palms, another magic seal was created, ana from that seal a plethora of star shaped magic projectiles fired towards Kiora. She was caught off guard by the speed, but Kiora was able to leap away in time. The stars slammed into the ground with a strong impact, causing the creator of shadows to slide away once she landed from her leap. Kiora then took a stance, similar to an ice maker's, and fired off a plethora of shadow lances without warning. Saeko then placed her hands downward, creating a star shaped shield. That shield protected her from the incoming lances, as they bounced off of the star and into different directions. Before Saeko could go on the offensive, Kiora appeared to her right, scythe already in her hands. She swung it down towards Saeko's head. The astrology mage quickly swayed away from the attack; dodging just in time as Kiora left a trail of uprooted ground from the missed swing. "It's getting there.." Kiora said to herself with a grin. She became a bit too wrapped into the fact of her power returning however, which left her open as Saeko slammed an open palm into her abdomen. From that open palm strike, a star shaped imprint appeared on her stomach. It then began glowing, and finally exploding. Annoyed, Kiora leaped away from the now visible smoke cloud that the explosion created, dusting off her stomach. "Hm..weak, but a hit is a hit."<br>Saeko was in a small state of shock. "That was a direct hit! How did she...!?"  
>Kiora turned her sights back to Saeko. "The longer this fights drags out, the worse it'll get for you. I'm not even halfway ready and I'm already leagues stronger than you, star girl. I guess it's your funeral today unless you can pull something out of your ass sometime soon."<br>Saeko shook herself out of her state of shock, sliding back into a fighter's stance. "I'll have to use it sooner than I thought, but that's fine. I just can't let her pass me."

.

"Are you good, boss? Do you need anything else?"  
>Ruika leaned back in her seat, waving the grunt behind her off. She patted her stomach, scanning the restaurant for any wandering eyes as she did so. She then finally stood up from her seat. "Alright, lets finish taking this valley over."<br>The thugs shouted in unison as they all began walking out of the building. "W-wait! Who is going to pay for the meal..!?"  
>Ruika stopped in her tracks, causing the others to stop as well. She then side glared the owner who was now standing in fear.<br>"Please..." He begged. "My family needs this money, and you and your thugs have eaten nearly the entire kitchen. I need...need your money to support my family."  
>Ruika then turned her sights to one of her thugs, a bigger male who nodded and began walking towards the owner while digging through his pockets. "Sorry about that, I'll cover the pay good sir."<br>"Oh thank you! Thank you so-" Before the owner could finish his statement, the thug slammed his right fist into his jaw, sending the male into the opposing wall. The gang laughs in unison until Ruika begins walking once more. She pushed opened the doors to the outside, and turned to her cycle. Leaning against them, were Rugal and Daityas. The gang shuffles out behind her, all giving confused yet hostile expressions until one of them spoke. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"  
>They both ignored his demanding tone as Rugal spotted the normal looking keys on her waist side. "Those poor spirits must be begging for some fresh air."<br>"Ruika." Daityas spoke as he stood back up straight. He took a few steps forward, enough for the gang members to step in front of the amnesiac. "The name is Blair. I don't know who this Ruika is."  
>"It sounds familiar though, right?" The demon slayer asks while grinning. Ruika then shrugged. "I head names all the time, it's no wonder it sounds familiar. Anyways, who are you and what do you want? Not that it matters, since you're both going to perish for touching my bike."<br>"Huh? These bikes?" Daityas snaps his fingers, and on cue, Rugal opens up a portal, right under the cycles. The bikes then sink into the portals and disappear without a trace. Everyone else stood in shock, including Ruika. "Wha...what did you do!? You're going to pay for that!" She then pointed forward. "Get them!"  
>Daityas and Rugal continued to smirk as the gang members charged them. "This fits Ruika perfectly. Whether it's her spirits, or some two bit magic cycle gang, she never lifts a finger." Rugal chuckled after his own statement. "You hit the nail on the head Daityas."<br>{Flashback}  
>Back in Tartaros, Ruika and the others watched from the upper balcony as Tobias squared off against a bunch of random people. They all wore chains around their wrists and ankles. Tobias then pointed towards the group. "I've explained the rules to you all! If you can beat us, we'll set you free!" The men that were in chains, were once free mages, now captured by Tartaros and used as slaves for whatever they wanted. Kiora then leaned over the balcony with her hands cuffed around her mouth. "Tobias! No one fears you so shut up and fight!"<br>A vein comically popped from his temple, but he ignored Kiora as the men charged him. Back up on the balcony, Ruika yawned as she dangled her celestial keys from her fingertips. "Try hards. You all train too hard. All you need is someone to do the dirty work for you."  
>"Is that why you're a celestial mage, Ru?" Maggie asked slyly as she turned to her. Ruika returned with a narrowed visage. "I'm a celestial mage because of my grandparents. It doesn't matter what magic I have, I'll always stick with this philosophy. Look at Tobias right now. Expending magic and muscle, or lack there of, as he fights the slaves. Sure it's not even a warmup, but all I have to do is call on Orion or Ursa Major and they'll clean house for me. I won't have to move a muscle."<br>"Ruika is lazy!" Sora yells with a smile as she sat on top of Arcs shoulders. "Shut it, brat."  
>"Well she's not lying." Rugal added. "One day, you'll need your own strength to get you out of trouble, and when you don't have it..."<br>"Please!" Ruika scoffed as she turned away from the fight, leaning on the balcony. "The day I have to actually lift a finger, I'll cut that finger off. I'm Ruika, the one true celestial wizard. Don't ever forget that! Use my own strength. Pft! Ridiculous."  
>{End FlashBack}<br>In a blink of an eye, the gang members began to roast within a circle of bright white flames. Their agonizing cries could be heard throughout the valley. Ruika did nothing but watch in shock as they literally burned into nothing. Daityas snapped his fingers again, causing the flames to stop. All that was left, was Ruika, standing there unsure how to react. Daityas then walked towards her. "That look on your face should help you remember who to truly are. You just witnessed an entire crowd of people burn within Hells Flames magic. Something you've seen plenty of times. You just don't remember fully. The real you is keeping the present you from trembling in fear, because she knows, Ruika. She knows who you..." He then placed his index finger against her forehead. Just like Maggie, a small, black magic circle appeared and began to spin. "...Are." The king of hell finished his sentence. He then draped an arm around the partially frozen Ruika. "Only a few minutes, Ruika, and everything will come back to you."  
>"Yo! Shorties!"<br>Daityas immediately huffed in annoyance. He and Rugal turned to see Ceaser standing a bit ways away from them. "What is it, we're busy." Rugal replied. Ceaser stood for a few more seconds, baring his teeth in excitement. The usual dumbfounded yet carefree look on his face disappeared. Replacing that look was now one of a sadistic nature as he clenched his fists. "We've been looking for that girl, so I can't allow you to turn her back into one of you."  
>"Oh? And whose gonna stop us?" Rugal then stepped forward, standing a few feet away from Ceaser. He then smirked, daring the cinnamon haired mage to attack him. "Well? Running out of time here big guy!"<br>"Ceaser! Don't!" Ceaser looked over, noticing Kairi, Mirajane, and Erza coming up the valley side. The distraction was all Rugal needed, as he summoned a portal in front of his person and swung a right straight through it. Another portal opened right next to Ceaser, and the punch slammed right into his jaw. Ceaser fell over from the blow, tumbling down the hillside until finally caught by Kairi. He stood up, rubbing his jaw. "Damn...that was something..."  
>Erza then looked up towards Daityas and Rugal, noticing Ruika as well. "We're too late. We'll be entering a fight we can't win."<br>"Are you suggesting we fall back!?" Kairi asked, showing a confused expression towards Erza's suggestion. "We don't have much of a choice. No one here's a match for Daityas, let alone all three of them."  
>"Don't worry!" Daityas then yelled. "We'll allow you to leave here without us hurting you if you turn back and walk away now with your pride in pieces."<br>She bared her teeth, but then she finally began to step back.  
>"Erza..." Mirajane watched as Erza clenched her fists, starting her jog away from the Tartaros mages. Unwilling at first, the others quickly follow after hesitating.<br>"You're not really letting the off are you?" Rugal asked. Daityas chuckled a bit to himself. "Oh I am, but this demon isn't." Already with the book in his hands, he started to recite a small incantation. A black magic seal appeared and began to spin rapidly just below the clouds. A full minute later, the demon was created. It stood on the highest peak of the valley. It's skin was a pale grey, white demonic markings down it's back just like the others. From it's shoulder blades, wings sprouted. It's wing span was just as big as the demon itself was. It then retracted it's wings as it looked over towards Daityas. "Demon of the sky. Do me a favor... Obliterate this entire valley."  
>The demon nodded, and then turned it's head to the sky, and began inhaling. The air quickly became thinner and thinner. This process was the exact same as the light demon's back in Oshibana, except this time, there was no demon slayer to oppose it.<br>As Erza and the others ran, the demon was quickly spotted. Their jog quickly turned into a sprint due to this. It's when the air itself was being absorbed, that the mages began to slow down, panting and gasping for air. "What's happening!?" Ceaser asked as he continued to gasp for air.  
>"It's the demon...it's absorbing the oxygen..." Erza fell to her hands and knees. Kairi and Mirajane right behind her. Ceaser hunched over, exhausted from the lack of air. "We can't end like this..! We need to get out of range...!" Ceaser summoned a magic seal under him. He then took in a deep breath, basically hogging any of the air that was left. Quickly, he turned to his Takeover: Horus. He draped the fallen Erza over his shoulders, then proceeded to pick up Mirajane and Kairi, taking off into the sky as he attempted to fly out of the demons range, quickly feeling the effects of the lack of air. "Hang on everyone! I'll get us...get us out of here!"<p>

.

"Made it! Sora listen to me. This carriage will take you to the council Hq okay? We'll all be there to see you soon! They'll take care of you until we're done here!"  
>Sora nodded to Levy's words. Levy closed the door right after and the carriage took no time in taking off, racing away from Dawn City. Inside the carriage, Lahar patted Sora on the head, giving her a small smile. "It's going to be okay.."<br>Back outside, Levy turned around to see an enraged Maggie. She seethed, yet finally took in a few deep breaths to calm herself. "That's okay..we'll get her eventually. There's no where to hide her."  
>Levy slowly backed away as Maggie stalked her. The lava mage was still in an angered state, except it was a calm anger. Her arms created two whips of lava, and she slapped them against the ground a couple of times as she walked towards the solid script mage. "I hope you're ready to-"<br>"Maggie!"  
>"What!?" The lava mage stopped in her tracks, looking around to see where the voice originated from. "Ru? Ru is that you?"<br>Just before her, one of Ruika's celestial spirits, Oculus appeared. Through it's pupil, Ruika waved. "Hey! Sorry, the connection may be bad; my strength is still recovering."  
>"Oi! Just glad to see you girl! What do you need though, I'm kinda busy with this wanker over here."<br>Ruika looked over to see Levy, and then turned her attention back to Maggie. "Not even worth it. Daityas said grab Kiora and Sora and meet us where he told you to. Rugal's here too!"  
>"Hey." Rugal pokes his head in, giving a quick wave before disappearing again. Maggie smiled. "Rugal! We got our chef back! Okay, we're on the way!"<br>"Peace out!" Ruika waves once again before Oculus vanishes. Maggie then turns back to Levy. "Whelp. You got lucky her nerd. Your time is coming though!" Maggie then turned about face, and ran back to where she came. Levy having no choice but to run after her to warn the others.

"Stand still you annoying...!" Kiora continued to swing her scythe, each and every way. Slowly, but surely, the swings from the scythe came closer and closer to hitting her target. Saeko continued to dodge the incoming strikes. With each passing blow, she could feel Kiora becoming stronger. "It's past the point to where I can block her scythe. I have to make a move soon..."  
>Saeko dodged one more swing, leaping over the horizontal slice of the shadow scythe. While in mid air, she swung her arms around, and then placed them together. "Take this!"<br>"Too slow!" Saeko was so intent in using her attack, that Kiora was able to easily slide in, and slam a hard kick to her side. Saeko hit the ground, sliding into the dirt until she finally came to a stop. At that moment, Maggie made herself known as she reappeared. "Kiora!"  
>"What is it Maggie!? You're ruining my moment!"<br>"Screw that bird! Ruika and Rugal are back! And Daityas wants us to meet up!"  
>"What!? Ah man and we're empty handed!" Kiora whined. "Oh well, we'll get Sora eventually."<br>Maggie then tapped her door impatiently. "Yeah so lets go!"  
>"Alright alright hold on!" Kiora turned to Saeko, who was just now making her way to her hands and knees, facing away from the impending threat. Kiora then raised her scythe as far as she could. "I need a good one liner..."<br>Maggie then chimed in. "Oh! How about...'Sorry to /cut/ this short..."  
>Kiora shifted her eyes to Maggie who was innocently smiling. "Never again Maggie. Never again."<br>Kiora then swung the scythe downward. "Oh I feel it! I'm at full strength!" She yelled as the seemingly endless line of a sharpened shadow rushed towards Saeko. Kiora watched intently only with Maggie. "And...she's..."  
>"Fire Make: Wall!"<br>In a blur, Kuro appeared before Saeko, facing Kiora with his arms spread. His palms faced Saeko, as a wall of flames shielded her from the incoming attack. It did not however, shield Kuro. The fire maker now stood there, panting heavily as a giant gash ran from his left shoulder, all the way down past his left leg. Easily it ripped past his clothing as well as his skin. Kuro refused to fall. "Saeko is behind me...stay on your feet, Kuro.."  
>Kiora blinked. Maggie did as well. She then turned to the Fatal Embodiment. "Kiora?"<br>"...Yeah Maggie.."  
>"Would you ever take a fatal attack for me?"<br>"No need. I know how to push you out the way." They both began laughing as Maggie created the annoying high pitched sound to call on the demons.

Rylo stood across from the aquatic demon, holding his left arm in immense pain as he winced repeatedly. He strum bleed around briefly to keep his balance as the aquatic demon stood there, unphased by the entire fight. The match was completely one sided, and Rylo was feeling the effects of taking on a demon alone. Before Rylo could regain himself, the demon heard the high pitched noise, and immediately turned away from Rylo, running off towards Maggie and Kiora's direction. It was at that time that Rylo fell face first into the ground. The stone demon did the same, after cleaning house against Heather, Taya, and Gajeel. The assistant was so badly beaten that she was sent back to her pocket dimension. The demons were gone, along with the golems. The mages laid there, everyone conscious yet badly beaten. "This is...it's only getting harder..." Taya groaned out. She forced herself to her knees as she slowly panted, wincing from the bruises and cuts on her arms. The rest slowly followed, forcing themselves off the ground. "D-dammit! How humiliating!" Gajeel roared as he punched the ground. Heather sat up, leaning on her hands and gasping for air. "I can't...believe we didn't beat a single...one.."

"Alright well, smell ya later losers!" Kiora gave Kuro and Saeko a salute as she and Maggie sat on top of their respective demons. The demonic beings took off in leaps, making their way out of the city as they quickly disappeared due to their blinding speed. Saeko couldn't move. She was in shock from the giant gash on Kuro's body. Kuro finally moved, falling face first into the ground. "Kuro!" Saeko crawled over to him, turning the red head over on his back. "Kuro, can you hear me!"  
>He began coughing, clutching his wound as he reopened his eyes. "It's just a scratch..heh." He winced a bit more before passing out in Saeko's arms. The pinkette held onto Kuro as she waited for someone to show up and help.<p>

.

Ceaser was coming in for a crash landing. He dropped the three girls on the ground as he swooped towards the ground to spare them the painful tumble. Instead, he took it himself. Reverting back to his normal form, he crash landed into the ground, shoulder first. He grabbed his shoulder, and turned to Matza Valley. To him, it was almost impossible to watch as his breath slowly came back to him. He glanced over to see if Kairi and the two Fairy Tail mages were still breathing. They were. Once he turned back to watching Matza Valley, the demon of the sky fired it's all powerful howl. "If all those people weren't already dead from the lack of oxygen..." Ceaser clenched his fists, baring his teeth. He felt completely helpless as the massive blast impacted, an explosive wave of air destroying everything, just like in Oshibana. Once the smoke cleared, there was nothing left. Before this, Daityas, Ruika and Rugal were already gone thanks to Rugal's portal transportation, and now, the sky demon was flying to their location. Ceaser watched, but didn't dare pursue. As he slowly stood up, the communication lacrima began to go off.  
>"Erza? Erza are you there? What's the update?" It was Lahar. Ceaser hesitated, but then finally pulled the lacrima from his pocket, answering Lahar's call. "Lahar...it's Ceaser...we found Ruika. Daityas found her first. Also...Matza Valley no longer exists."<br>Lahar simply turned off his lacrima. The carriage was now on a smooth ride back to the council Hq. He placed a hand on his temple to massage the headache away. "It's only a matter of time huh?"  
>Lahar looked over towards the little girl, who was pressing down the hair to her doll. Her voice was really ominous just now. Lahar then shook it off. He wasn't aware of the fact that Sora was already teetering being her Tartaros memories and her amnesia. He gave her a smile, and shook his head. "Everything is fine. As long as we protect you, they'll never win. And we're going to protect you with everything we have."<br>Sora kept an emotionless visage on her doll. "You're only putting yourself in more danger, keeping me, but I won't fight the council's wishes. Even if it will be your downfall."  
>Lahar raised a brow, staring at Sora a bit more until he waved it off once more. "She's just a kid." He thought to himself. The carriage arrived at the Council Hq. Lahar was the first to step out. He then walked around and opened the carriage for Sora who hopped out as well. The second she looked up, she froze. Her pupils shrunk at the man in front of her. "You're familiar..."<br>Lahar nodded to the man. "First captain Riley."  
>"Riley...that's not his name.." Sora continued mumbled to herself, trying to decipher the blurry memories within her mind. "That's not his name...it's...I can't remember..."<br>Tobias bowed towards Lahar, and then escorted them both inside the council Hq. "I've already been informed of the situation of course. We'll keep watch of Sora here. All guards are on high alert for any strange activity. No one is allowed five hundred feet of the council Hq without permission. And furthermore-"  
>"SHUT UP!" Sora yelled. Tobias turned to the girl, confused at her outburst. Sora stared at the ground. "I...I don't know why I told you to do that...but it felt right..."<br>Tobias raised a brow, but then continued walking afterwards.  
>"Anyways. We'll keep her here." Tobias pointed to the lone room filled with a single bed. Beside it was another door that led to the bathroom. Lahar bent down to the girl, patting her on the head once more. "We'll check up on you frequently okay?"<br>Sora nodded and then entered the room. She sat on the bed as Tobias closed the door. He then turned back to Lahar. "Riley, are you sure she'll be fine here? I feel like the stronghold has better forces."  
>"The stronghold members are actually on their way over here." Tobias replied. "It's a risky move, but all prisoners there are locked in their cells and we need all the protection we can get."<br>Lahar simply nodded. "The mages are on their way back to their guild to recover. Hopefully Tartaros won't attack before they do."  
>Tobias scoffed. "As you noticed, the mages aren't a real help. The aces failed in killing the first demon. Now there's three more out there and they obviously have the book to produce more. It's only a matter of time before we're over run."<br>Lahar didn't say a word, he simply began walking with the amnesiac. He then went to his own thoughts. "I just don't think having Sora and Tobias so close together really. I don't know what Seigrain was thinking when he made Tobias the first captain. I don't know what he was thinking when he allowed him on the council! We should of locked him up like /the other one./"

Back at the council stronghold. Down deep in the basement where Evanee once fought the warden of that floor, there was what seemed like a hallway everyone passed by when they tried to escape the stronghold. An ominous laughter came from the hallway. A few hanging lanterns kept the hall from a pitch black color. There he sat, bandages over his eyes and cuffs on his wrists. He gave a toothy grin as he sat alone in the darkness, yet he continued to laugh. "This...this feeling! No magic concealer can keep me from feeling bloodlust! Daityas is alive and so are the others! I don't know if I want to join them or slaughter them! Which will be more of a thrill!? I can hardly contain myself! Daityas or Takeru? The traitor, or the one who stole my magic!? Both of them seem appetizing. I'm never this riled up ever. Calm yourself...

Arcturus."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Sister Taya

"And here we are again. Half of us are broken and bruised as we all sit around the guild in the snowy mountains." Mason yawned, the way he finished showed him feeling a shroud of annoyance at the current situation. "Half of our fire power are too hurt to even function. I mean yeah, we still have all but one Ace, but this is like a game of Conquerors and we're losing horribly."  
>It was half a day later. Everyone was back at White Eclipse once again. They all sat around the main room once again, a communication lacrima in the middle of everyone, placed on the table. Erza continuously tapped her arm, growing impatient with Mason's words as he preached.<br>"I'm just saying. A lot of us here are a bunch of has beens. I mean, that Serenity chick beat a demon, even though it costed her her own well being. Hopefully that's not a sign, or a lot of you are going to fall in vain."  
>As if everyday routine, Satoshi thumped Mason on the back of the head. The young boy seethed in pain, holding the back of his head before rubbing it a bit to soothe the pain. That wasn't enough for Erza this time. Titania then walked over to the kid, gripping him by the collar of his shirt and lifting him upward. "H-Hey! Put me down!" Mason demanded. Erza gripped the boys shirt tighter. "Listen to me. This is your only warning. The way you talk signifies that you look down on Fairy Tail. That means you've done nothing but bad mouth us from the start. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's someone disrespecting Fairy Tail and those who represent it. So the next time you do, I'll shut you up myself, okay?"<br>Mason shook, but then he quickly turned his expression to a grin. A blue hue flashed over his eyes. The color blue stood for obedience. "Put me down." He demanded as he continued to smirk towards Titania. Instead of listening, she gripped his shirt even tighter. Mason was confused, now in complete shock. "What... Why didn't it..."  
>"Oh yeah...Erza's eye." Lucy chimed in. "Her eye helps her see past things like that, as well as illusions."<br>Mason then gulped, and raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry...I won't speak of Fairy Tail like that anymore." Erza then placed him back down. As Mason slowly sat down, Reve began to laugh. "Well then, I hate to say it, because I was rooting for you all, but it seems Shaman's Haven is weaker than Fairy Tail!"  
>"Don't start Reve!" Erza growled as she shifted her eyes towards the gunslinger. "What's that!?" Reve retaliated, sitting up in his chair. "You don't scare me at all, Scarlet. I'll bad mouth that pathetic guild of yours all I want. You're all trash to me! One lucky Grand Magic Games win doesn't make you superior. We've had your number since we met!"<br>"You're pushing it!" Erza says, raising her voice an octave. Though some of them were against Reve provoking her, the entire White Eclipse guild now stood either next to or behind the gunslinger who was seated. Like a mirror reflection, Fairy Tail stood on the other side. Both sides shared the same expression, except for Reve, who was grinning in excitement. He was literally on the edge of his seat. "I bring the best out of my guild mates Erza. You use yours as a crutch."  
>Lucy then pointed back to Reve as she spoke to the others. "Are you really just going to let him talk to us like that!?"<br>"It's White Eclipse..." Taya starts.  
>"..Or second place." Heather finishes.<br>"It doesn't matter if Reve starts it or not." Zalen, the building mage chimed in. Kuro nodded as Waiston then spoke. "We have each other's back, no matter who's wrong and who's right."  
>"It'd be wise to down while you can." Laxus speaks, grinning as he showed his poise against the guild. "The Raijinshū has been begging for action."<br>"Hyahaha! That's the truth! I've been raring to go!" Bickslow laughed as his dolls mimicked his last words. Evergreen then fixed he'd glasses. "I could use a stone gunslinger in my front yard, to scare the rodents away."  
>Natsu then slammed his fists together. "Lets just settle this now!"<br>Upon Natsu's words, Takeru made his appearance known, emitting shadow magic from his hands. "Anytime Salamander."  
>"All of you need to break it up! Geez! You can't hate each other this much do you!?" Leon then took center stage. "We need to work together. The only way we can do that is if we cooperate and get along!"<br>"Shut up acid breath!" The Salamander yelled. "I'll burn you o ash too!"  
>Leon then immediately lost his sights of peace as he turned to Natsu. "I'm going to melt your skin off!"<br>"What just happened to him trying to create peace!?" Rem says as everyone deadpans over from Leon's statement. The entire time, the guild masters stood around and watched in disappointment. "We're in so much trouble..." Sato spoke. "I'm sorry, but it always comes back to Fairy Tail and White Eclipse every time." Mac replied. He then grinned as he slowly opened his eyes. He already knew who was in front of him as he now stood, towering over the gunslinger. "You're a little close, aren't ya boy?"  
>"You. I don't know where you came from, but I just don't like you. I'm the true gunslinger over here. Ask Fairy Tail's pathetic guns mage, Alzack. The same way I took him down I'll do to you. With ease. You're some no name man who runs a two bit guild. You can't hang over here pops."<br>Rem immediately stood up, but Mac held his arm out to tell him to relax. The guild master then turned back to Reve with a grin. "It's coming boy. Now isn't the time, since you need your confidence, but your time of humiliation is coming."  
>Reve continued to glare, even as the lacrima went off. Taya walked over towards the communication lacrima, turning it on. Lahar's face appeared as the guilds continued to argue. "Taya? Are you all still at the guild? We told you to leave once a team was ready."<br>"Yeah, we ran into a slight problem.." She shrugged as she moved out the way. Lahar could now visibly see the commotion going on in the guild. The fighting between guilds was enough to make him rub his temples in frustration. "Listen to me. We don't have time to come down there and fix your problems! So fix whatever you have going on and-"

As Lahar spoke, an explosion behind him occurred, causing the lacrima to static. "Lahar!? Lahar!" Taya yelled as the vision within the lacrima continued to phase in and out. Everyone in the guild stopped their fighting and turned to the lacrima. Lahar turned away from his lacrima as well. Readying himself for anyone who came towards him as smoke clouded the room. First, a couple of guards were thrown through the hole in the wall. Behind them, the celestial spirit, Orion appeared. Ruika walked in behind him with an unamused expression. Lahar quickly took off, running to pull the nearest alarm. Ruika wasn't concerned at all as her and her spirit continued to walk around inside the building, as if looking for something. "Now if I was Sora.."  
>Another explosion occurred. This time it took place at the bottom floor. "Oooooh here we are! The dynamic duo! This feels like déjà vu because we murdered y'all clowns before, but it's not our fault you're not as punk as us!"<br>Maggie walked in behind Kiora, shaking her head. "I don't understand her sometimes." Maggie then fired a funnel of lava towards the incoming guards. Nothing but painful screams were heard from that direction as the two continued their slow walk inside the building. "Sora! Oh Sora! Come out! Or don't, I don't care because we'll find you eventually!" Kiora marched down the hallway with her partner Maggie, shadows and magma flying everywhere as they bombard the council guards.

"They're under attack! Who's okay to go!?" Taya quickly began pointing traffic. "I'm going, screw injuries."  
>She said as the dark vector mage ripped off her bandages. "Who else!?"<br>"I'm with you." Evanee says.  
>"In that case I'm going to!" Rylo tried to sit up, but the magician was in to much pain as Ceaser held him down. "Don't be ridiculous shorty."<br>"Yeah screw that." Taya added. "We don't need heroes. We need people able to protect Sora. If we make it in time! Who's coming?"  
>"Zalen, lets go." Simultaneously, the gunslinger, Reve Volver and the ghost mage, Sidney Castle called upon the building mage. He nodded, and made their way to the door. "I'm definitely coming!" Natsu yelled as he, Leon and Takeru had the same idea. All three of them headed outside, ready to leave. "If Flame brain is going, I have to keep the idiot out of trouble." Gray grinned, and ran out as well, followed by Juvia of course. "Wait for me." Trinity spoke as he slid out the guild. Taya then spoke once more. "If anyone else is joining just head for the council Hq! We're leaving!" And following her statement, she took off running with the others behind her. "Hang on Sora.."<p>

Bodies were flying left and right from each floor as the alarm blared. On the top floor, Siegrain made his way to the roof. He began walking towards the edge of the roof. His body then began to glow a heavenly light, but the second he took off, his foot was grabbed, keeping him from leaving. "Man, we've been here before huh!?"  
>Seigrain turned to match the voice with the face. He trembled as Daityas grinned back towards the council leader. "Last time we were like this, you betrayed me, Siegrain. I should of finished you then!" He slung the Bluenette backwards. Siegrain crashed against the roof surface, sliding across the roof in immense pain from Daityas' toss. The king of hell then stalked the male. "Don't worry, you're not even worth me flexing these Hells flames muscles on. I'm just here to have fun until they find Sora. Oh! And that wild card you've been hiding from us back at the stronghold. We know Arc is there, and Rugal is on his way right now."<br>Siegrain sat up in fear. His trembling continued uncontrollably. "How...how did he know? Arc's magic is sealed deep within the stronghold basement! There's no way anyone can sense him! Not from there!"

Rugal made his entrance. He entered the stronghold through his own portal, already on the basement floor. In his way, was nothing more than normal guards who held their weapons out forward. Rugal simply waved his hand, a portal appearing under their feet and quickly sucking them in. The portal closed, and then reopened outside the stronghold, near the middle of the ocean. The guards then fell into the ocean, immediately surrounded by it's inhabitants. Rugal then made his way down the hall, keeping his eyes out for a small hallway. It only took a a couple more feet before he noticed it. He could tell from the dangling lanterns that the person he was looking for was down this hallway. Rugal grinned, and then began making his way down the dimly lit hallway, not saying a word until he was to come face to face with him.

"You two! Stop!"  
>Kiora and Maggie comically stop in mid run, frozen with their hands in the air. "I don't wanna go to the big house!" Kiora cried obnoxiously. Maggie then joined her partner in he antic, whaling unnecessarily as well. "I'm too pretty for jail! Don't do it!"<br>The guards edged towards them, staying cautious of their actions. Kiora and Maggie continued to not move as they moved closer. It was only where they were less than a foot away...  
>That the stone demon came crashing through the wall, bulldozing everyone out the way. Maggie and Kiora clap for the demon as it continues it's rampage down inside the council hall. Their clapping then stopped as they heard a whip slap the floor a couple of times. They both then turn around, noticing one of the stronghold Wardens, Valry, standing on front of them. "Oi Oi! Did you think it would be that easy!?" Valry asked rhetorically. She smacked her whip once more, leaving a small indent in the floor. Maggie then waves Kiora back as she then cracked her knuckles. Valry stood her ground as Maggie walked towards her. "Three minutes. That's how long it'll take."<br>Valry then began laughing. "Three! You think you're gonna last that long?" Her comment caused Maggie to grin widely. "Of course not. I'm probably gonna die of laughter before that, but if that happens, my good friend Katsu will finish you off."  
>"Don't call me that!" Kiora yelled in a comical fashion.<br>"Well enough talk!" Valry says as she took a stance. "Come at me then!"

Ruika continued walking with her spirit Orion. She made her way around the corner, and once she appeared, a jacket immediately flew into the air. It was Dól, the assistant warden from the basement floor back at the stronghold. Though he stood in the way, Ruika continued walking as if Dól wasn't even there. "As if I'm going to let you just ignore me!" Dól roared as he took a stance. "Just say the word my princess." Orion says as he reaches for his weapon. Ruika shook her head. "No need, Orion. The air in here is about to turn up in a second."  
>"Huh?" Dól was dumbfounded by her statement, but his question was quickly answered as a violent funnel of winds slams through the wall, and into Dól. The impact was strong enough to send Dól through the opposing wall. He was immediately unconscious. The only factor now that would decide his death was the long drop to the ground. The thud was heard, and Dól wasn't heard from anymore. Rukia was already halfway down the hallway, yawning in disinterest with her celestial spirit as they continued to look for Sora.<p>

Valry swung her whip, running it through a magic seal and turning it solid ice. She then slung it towards Maggie, wrapping it around her waist. Instantly, she began to freeze. As the ice ran up her torso, Maggie quickly struck a pose, lifting her hair from the back of her head while kissing the air. She was now frozen completely. Valry grinned as she retracted her whip. "Just as I thought. Just a bunch of clowns really. That wasn't even thirty seconds."  
>The warden then peered around the ice block, looking Kiora's way. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want to run while you still can?"<br>Kiora paid her no mind, instead she continued to count the seconds on her shadow manifested stopwatch. She then pointed to Maggie without looking up, the ice statue quickly melted into nothing but warm water, Maggie now standing there, drenched as she tugged on her shirt. "Of course. Oi I okay around too much, cor blimey. Now I'm soaked from head to toe, what is this?!"  
>Valry was in shock, quickly snapping out of it as she slapped her whip down. "So you can melt ice! No big deal! You'll still lose this fight!" She swung her whip again, this time, the whip ran right through the lava mage. "What!? What's going on!?" Valry continued to back away. Maggie then manifested her own whips into both of her hands. "So you like whips huh mate?"<br>Frightened out of her mind, Valry tried to turn and one, but the minute she made a one-eighty, a lava whip wrapped around her neck. She was already in an agonizing choke from the lava around her neck, but to add even more unneeded pain, Maggie slung Valry against the wall repeatedly. She was already out cold on the second throw, but Maggie continued for about seven more times. She then ran over to the warden and placed a foot upon her back as Valry laid face down against the floor. "Time!"  
>Kiora pressed the button, holding a dramatic pause. "...two minutes and forty seconds!"<br>"Call me the queen! I run this game!"  
>Kiora quietly waved her off, snickering to herself. "Don't get carried away now. Come on, lets keep looking for Sora."<p>

As Kiora and Maggie continue their walk, they hear another explosion like sound from the back of the headquarters. They both look at each other skeptically. "Ruika is on the upper levels." Maggie says as she begins calculating in her head. "And Dait is on the roof." Kiora adds in.  
>"You know he would kill ya if he heard you calling him that."<br>"Tell him to shove it, Maggie. Anyways! If they're above us, then who is crashing in from our level?"

Taya was in full sprint from the hole in the wall she created. She went running past guards who were holding their positions and waiting on Maggie and Kiora. She slid into a turn, and sprinted down another hallway. At the end of the hallway, Sora sat on the corner of the bed, clutching her doll against her chest. The hat on her head covered her eyes as she continued to hold the doll. "I told him...keeping me here is dangerous."  
>Taya came sliding in, quickly opening Sora's room. She rushed in, quickly kneeling down to the amnesiac. "Sora, hey. It's time to go okay?"<br>"Okay...Sister Taya."  
>Her statement took Taya off guard a bit. They only called her that in Tartaros. Taya took her chances however, assuming that Sora was still attempting to decipher her blurred memories. She lifts Sora up, now carrying her as they left the room, running back down the hallway. She bolted for the hole she created, but now sliding between her and the opening, as the stone demon. Immediately, Taya slid to a stop, and turned back the other way to run. She knew she was helpless with Sora in her possession. With no remorse or sympathy, yet all the knowledge to this fact, the stone demon charged after the dark vector mage, destroying everything in it's path as it chased Taya down the hall. Maggie and Kiora turned the corner to see the culprit. "Tayakata..." Maggie clenched the corner of the wall, breaking off a chunk of it as she watched. "She's for Sora. That wretched wank."<br>"She won't last long." Kiora says sit a shrug.  
>"Speaking of not lasting long." Now standing behind them both, Reve, Sidney, and Zalen stood right behind the duo. Reve already had his gun in his hand as he aimed it towards Kiora. "Surrender, or suffer." Sidney recited. Kiora and Magge look at each other. They then began walking away as if no one was there. Sidney took a step forward, only to stop. He stopped because a drop of water fell right in front of him. "I see you, demon."<br>All in one rush, the aquatic demon that belonged to Kiora shot through the ceiling, a giant waterfall that soon manifested into the demon now stood between the three mages and the two Tartaros members. Their expressions change in it's entirety as the stood face to face with the demonic being. Sidney simply nodded. "Don't hold me back."  
>"Wouldn't plan on it, Sidney." Reve replied as he held his pistol on his clutches. Zalen merely fixed his glasses as he kept his thought inward. "We haven't termed up in ages. This is my chance! I'll show Sidney why it isn't bad to be a support mage!"<br>Taya kept running, the stone demon quickly closing in on her. Though it seemed futile to try and outrun it, the second the demon was in melee range, Taya grinned.  
>"Iron fist!"<br>"Strong fist!"  
>"Clubbing fists!"<br>"Of the Fire Dragon!"  
>"Of the Acid Dragon!"<br>"Of the Shadow Dragon!" Taya quickly turned another corner, freeing up the incoming trio of dragon slayers Natsu slammed his fist into the demon's abdomen. Takeru then slammed his fist against the demon's chin in an uppercut fashion. To finish it off, Leon slammed his fist into the now exposed throat of the stone demon. The being slams into the wall behind it, now hanging halfway out of the building. There was no time to celebrate as the demon slowly made it's way to it's feet. Still the slayers didn't back down as they stood off with the first demon that, to them, started the epidemic. All three of them held an excited visage. "If we can beat Zeref." Takeru says with a grin. Natsu then finishes off the sentence as he crouches. "A demon shouldn't be a problem."

Siegrain went tumbling against the rooftop once again. He finally came go another stop, now panting heavily on his hands and knees as Daityas walked towards him. "Man, my guild mates better hurry before you, you know, die. I'm not good at holding back against the weak. It just makes me want to destroy them, knowing that they're so helpless." Daityas grabbed Siegrain by the back of the collar, lifting him slowly until he was eye level with the demon slayer himself. Daityas then repeatedly press his right index finger on different spots of Siegrain's body. Some were on the shoulders, some on the chest and a few on his back. Daityas then snapped his fingers as small, but equally painful sparks of white flames shot up from the spots Daityas created. Siegrain let out an agonizing yell as he desperately tried to put out the flames. "Your screams are as annoying as just looking at you, 'hero.'" Daityas then dropped him from his grasp, slamming a punt into Siegrain's abdomen. The council leader tumbled violently again, but it was stopped short as he was grabbed by both Tobias (Riley) and The Head Warden of the Council Stronghold, Rizu. "Oh?" Daityas cocked his head to the side a bit. "I don't know who the other blue haired clown is, but just as I planned, Tobias is here and ready to come home."  
>Tobias gave a low growl. "Only one going home, is you back to hell where you came from."<br>Rizu then took a step forward, sliding into a fighter's stance as his body began to glow a greenish color. "Tartaros mage or not, you obviously don't know who you're up against. I'll show you the full power, of Nature's Body Magic!"  
>Daityas began to chuckle. He too then took a stance, an original one as the roof slowly began to shake. "Okay then. Show me that power of yours. But if you disappoint me, I'll burn you from the inside out with some real magic!"<p>

Taya continued down the now long main hallway. She was almost to her destination. She could be heard panting as she carried Sora. The little girl stayed quiet within Taya's arms. She would curl herself as far into a ball as she could as the two made their way down the hall. The end of the hallway could be seen, giving Taya hope, until a line of sharpened shadows slammed into the dark vector mages back. Taya let out a scream as she fell forward, still holding on to Sora. Once she hit the ground, the slowly turns around to see Kiora and Maggie sliding to a stop just across from them both. "Well well! A two for one! Now we get to have Sora back, and kill the traitor!" Kiora twirled the axe in her hand, ending it by clutching it under her arm with the blade facing away from Taya. Maggie stood there with a cheeky grin plastered on her face. "No where to go ya bird. Hand over Sora and we'll make your death as quick as possible."  
>Taya began to chuckle after Maggie's comment. She then slowly stood with Sora behind her. "No, no, no!" Kiora whined. "Don't try this bull shit last stand thing where you think you're going to pull of a miracle Taya. Just hand the kid over okay?"<br>"Don't worry...I wasn't planning on doing that." Taya's smile grew a bit wider. "But this is exactly what I wanted though. To finally finish you two spoiled, annoying brats alone." Taya then turned to Sora. "Just like we talked about..." Taya patted her on the head, and then pointed to the figure standing at the end of the hallway. "Run to Erza okay? Don't worry, Sister Taya will see you soon."  
>Sora nodded, and then began running off. "Oh no you don't!" Maggie leaped after Sora, only to be cut off by a wall of dark vectors. She slid back, growling. The wall then dropped as Taya stood in a defensive position. Kiora then raised a brow. "You wanted us alone, but you're already on defense? Just as I thought. Sister Taya is nothing but a bluff now."<br>"You're right about one thing, little Kiora."  
>"Call me that again, and I'll slice your head off sooner than I planned to."<br>Taya ignored her threat as she continued. "I did want you two alone, but someone close to me helped me come to my senses."  
>{An Hour Before}<br>Taya continued to run in front of the group of mages, expending a great deal of energy as they all sprinted towards the council. Nami watched her sister, and she could already guess the hidden motives Taya had along with protecting Sora at her current state. Nami pushed herself, making it past the crowd of mages and up to Taya.  
>"Taya! If you run into Kiora and Maggie.."<br>"If I run into them, I will slaughter them both."  
>"I knew you would say that.." Nami says shaking her head. "But just know, that your personal vendetta is stupid."<br>Taya was a bit taken back by Nami's remark, but she didn't allow it to slow her down. "You're with family now...so if you're going to fight them, let me fight with you."  
>"I can't risk that Nami."<br>"But you can risk fighting alone!?" The brunette shouted. Taya shifted her eyes back to her sister as she continued. "I want to be here for you. You spent your entire life looking for me, so now it's time for me to return the favor, okay? Lets fight them, as a family!"  
>{Now}<br>"Now, I don't need to finish you both off alone. For a while, I considered Tartaros family. That was, until I saw our true colors. That's why..."  
>As she paused, Nami appeared from the hallway Sora ran down, now standing next to her sister. She slid into an offensive stance while Taya stayed in her defensive one.<br>"That's why, I choose to fight alongside my real family! So lets end this here Namiyaka!"  
>"Right! I'm with you, Tayakata!"<p>

"Rugal..."  
>Rugal stood in front of Arcturus after lowering the magic sealing gate to his prison cell. The green haired male was a bit cautious as he stood feet away from the Darkness Demon Slayer. Still, he nodded. "I see you sense of smell it's still amazing as ever, Arcturus."<br>His wicked grin flashed upon his face. "So I'm guessing you're here to free me, and for me to join Tartaros once again."  
>"Only if you chose Tartaros. Daityas informed us of the falling out you two had back when Zeref was in the middle of his apocalypse."<br>"Well..." Arc stood from his lone chair, showing the cuffs around his wrists. "You know, I'm fine with sitting here and rotting my long life away. I'm also sure that Daityas doesn't want you to come back empty handed. Once you release me, I'll tell you whose side I'm on. Times ticking Rugal. What's it going to be?"  
>Rugal hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was die in the stronghold by Arc's hands. At<br>The same time, he declared that he was going to succeed. So he took the bold move...  
>The sealing cuffs hit the floor, and immediately, Arc grabbed the dimensional mage by the throat and slammed him against the wall. He reared his left fist back. Rugal didn't have time to react as Arc...stopped his punch just short. The demon slayer began laughing once again. He then dropped Rugal, walking off as the green haired mage coughed, holding his own neck as he regained the air he was being deprived of. "It's been a while, really. I can't wait to see Sora and the others. Minus Mithril, it seems we're all getting back together. How exciting is this feeling!? Takeru Tenebrae! You have something of mine that I should of never given to you. And I can't wait..<p>

To take it back!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Calvary of Chaos! The Dynamic Duo vs The Twin Sisters!

"Ice make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray fired off a plethora of ice lances, the creation hurling towards Ruika and her celestial spirit. Orion's sword quickly began to glow, shifting into a shield. The celestial spirit crouched, holding the shield outward and deflecting the ice lances away from him and Ruika. Ruika then raised another key. "Gate of the Dragon, I open thee. Drago!" From it's gate,  
>The humanoid dragon appeared, wasting no time as he fired a large funnel of flames towards his opponents. Sliding in front of Gray, Layanna held out her reflector shield, redirecting the flames to the ceiling and causing them to crash into the ceiling and disperse into nothing as a bit of rubble falls to the floor. It was Layanna and Gray, versus Ruika and her spirits. Gray held his stance as he waited to see what either one of the spirits were going to do. Layanna didn't, and she charged forward, holding a thick sword with two angel wing tips on the sides. She swung the heavy sword, clashing with Orion's as the two locked in a stalemate, creating a shockwave from their impact. Drago took this time to charge Gray, swinging a fire infused punch for his jaw. Gray quickly leaned away, then hopped back into his molding stance. "Ice make: Hammer!" He fired the giant hammer of ice, and to counter, Drago ignited both of his hands, now covered in flames as he took a wide stance. He then caught the incoming ice hammer, sliding backwards from the power behind the hammer throw. The hammer slowly melted into nothing however, and Drago stood with a grin as Ruika stood behind her spirits with her arms folded, watching with slight amusement. "I never knew how annoying fighting a celestial wizard like you is." Gray voiced, capturing Ruika's attention. "I mean, at least, Lucy and Yukino fight alongside their spirits. You just hide behind them."<br>"Don't say those names around me, stripper." Ruika glared at the now shirtless Gray. "Your taunting isn't going to work, because I love it when I don't have to do any work. So if you want to call it hiding, then so be it." Ruika smirked as Orion pushed Layanna away from him, back into a stance next to the other spirit Drago. "I'll win this fight, without having to lift a single finger."

The four of them faced off, no one yet to move in the hallway. Kiora and Maggie kept their guard up, as well as Taya. Nami continued to keep her offensive stance. Finally, after an entire minute of nothing, Nami slowly crouched, and took off towards them both. Her speed was exceptional, and the light mage landed between both of the Tartaros mages. This occurrence threw them off guard, because they both believed that Nami was going to pick out a single target. They believed she was going to pick either Maggie, or Kiora, and not land in between them to attack both. Nami did none of these three options, another assumption from the now panicked dynamic duo. In one slow motion, Nami spun, feigning a kick to keep their attention. With that being a success, two vectors crashed through the floor, slamming into the abdomens of both the lava mage and lifting them off their feet. "It...was a bluff.." Kiora groans out as she and Maggie are now seemingly helpless as they hovered in mid air from the last attack. Nami then summoned a magic circle in front of her, and thrusted her hands forward. From it, two giant beams of light fired, rushing towards the duo. Kiora quickly flipped over, taking a maker's stance. She then created a wall of shadows, blocking the beams of light just in time. Maggie finally flipped into recovery as well as she landed back on the floor. Wasting no time she created a lava whip and slung it towards Nami. The light mage ducked it, wincing in pain as she felt the drops of magma drip against her back. She bared her teeth, but didn't counter in time as Kiora slammed a knee into her abdomen. Kiora quickly backed away as Taya fired in a high kick. With the quick evasion, Taya's kick slammed against the wall, creating a small crater within it. Kiora raised a brow just a bit. "Heh...someone's cranky. I didn't think you'd be so serious, Taya."  
>"Come off if Kiora. No one here is holding back. Now enough talking!" As she exclaimed her sentence, about five vectors protruded from her back, and rushed towards the two mages. They continuously dodged the incoming vectors as Maggie made her way towards Taya. She slid into melee range, swinging a hard left lava infused uppercut. Taya leaned away just enough for her to miss; not enough for the excess lava to splash against her torso. Taya winced heavily as she backed away, holding her burns in pain. Maggie attempted to stay in pursuit, but she quickly stopped to cover up from the incoming beam of light by Nami. The light beam slammed into Maggie, pushing her against the wall until it went off in an explosive fashion. As the smoke cleared, Maggie walked out of the hole in the wall, her clothes torn a good deal as she huffed. "A heads up would of been nice, Kiora."<br>Kiora shrugged. "Sorry, I thought you would of saw that."  
>Maggie cut her eyes to her partner, and then back to her opponents as they high-fived without taking their eyes off the duo. "No! None of that!" Maggie yelled. "This fight isn't over until you two can no longer breathe!" Taya and Nami ignored Maggie's comment. Instead, Nami now stood in front of Taya. From her back, six vectors were summoned, and now hovered around Nami. The light mage began focusing her magic into her hands, both of her fists now illuminating. Maggie and Kiora stood ready, and Nami charged in with her fists clenched by her sides. Maggie then fired off a funnel of lava magic towards the incoming light mage. Nami slid, slowing her run down as the vectors quickly shot out and around her, covering her from the incoming lava. They did their job, and Nami continued forward, now lunging towards Kiora. The Fatal Embodiment quickly created a string of shadow lances, and fired them towards the incoming Nami. With no vectors left to defend her, Nami stopped on a dime, pivoting on her right foot and quickly changing direction to lunge for Maggie instead. This seemed to be the plan all along. When Nami pulled off this action, Kiora spotted Taya above the action, surfing on one of her vectors while another wrapped around her right foot. She leaped towards Kiora, aiming an axe kick for her head. It wasn't fast enough. Kiora quickly brought her hands together, and from the magic seal, Cerberus appeared, tackling Taya to the ground. The loud thud caused Taya to shriek in pain. The shriek caused Nami to look back at her sister, noticing the shadow dog now attempting to maul her with it's brute strength. The distraction allowed the Lethal Eruption to slam a lava infused punched directly into the ribs of the light mage. Hunched over, and in dire pain, the light mage then took a roundhouse kick to the head, causing her to tumble away from the duo violently. Taya covered her face, continuously moving side to side to avoid the immense strength that was the jaw of Cerebus, along with it's jaggedly sharp teeth. Finally Cerberus clamped onto Taya's right arm, causing her to let out an agonizing yell. Quickly, she wrapped a bundle of dark vector magic around her left fist, repeatedly slamming a punch against the shadow dog's eye. Finally unable to take anymore, Cerberus swung Taya away by her arm. Crashing into the ground, the mage held her arm, wincing. She looked down to noticed the bite marks and tears in her arm as Nami made her way to her feet next to her sister. Maggie and Kiora regrouped as well, Cerberus standing in front of them, growling like a guard dog protecting it's family. Both sides began to pant, yet refusing to let the exhaustion of the heated exchange get to them. It's become more than serious, and neither side said a word as they both came to the mutual agreement to regain their wind for round two.<p>

"Rose Garden!" Rizu slammed his palms to the ground, creating an incredibly thick, seemingly endless garden of roses connected by thorns. They shot up from the ground violently, but Daityas was unphased, as he basically covered himself in his own flames to burn away the potential threat. Tobias slid in, appearing to Daityas' right as his gloves began to glow a bright red. "Glove magic? That's your substitute for my guild mate, Siegrain!? What a joke."  
>Fire sparked from the gloves, and Tobias swung a right straight towards Daityas. The punch...landed, right between the eyes of the King of Hell. Daityas however, sucked the life out of any hope Tobias had once he landed the punch but cackling at the attempted strike. He stood there unaffected, not even by the strength of the punch. Tobias then began to shake in fear. "I...I..."<br>"I can't hurt you too bad, because I need you back on the winning team. So if you don't mind sitting over there!" Daityas grabbed Tobias' fist, and violently slung him to the other side of the roof. Tobias crashed into the ground head first before tumbling all the way to the edge. Daityas then turned back to a more than shocked Rizu. "But you...you I have no reason to spare!"  
>Daityas crouched low, ready to take off, until a magic seal appeared under him. "Hm?" He watched the magic seal as it violently explodes with him inside, uprooting the middle of the roof as well. A giant hole now stood in the middle of the roof, and as the smoke cleared, Daityas hopped back up, dusting himself off as he looked over to Rizu's position. Walking up, and now standing beside him, was Evanee, the ace of Twilight Zone. She stood with a hand on her hip, the other one draped by her side as Rizu turned to her in surprise. "Twilight's ace..."<br>"I don't like you either warden." Evanee replied. "But for now, we share a common goal."  
>"Mages continue to pop out of nowhere." Daityas says in an annoyed tone. "It's not going to make a difference however. If you want to die here too, then so be it."<p>

The three dragon slayers continued to run circles around the stone demon in almost a literal fashion. When anyone had an opening, he attacked. Besides that, the three slayers continued moving in the compressed area, dodging the incoming fists and kicks from the demonic being. "It seems Leon's strategy is working." Takeru says to himself. "Didn't think he had such a mind. Still, we'll just waste energy if we can deal a fatal blow."  
>Natsu bounced from wall to wall, avoiding the demon's strikes along with the other two dragons. Once the demon turned it's attention away from Natsu, he planted his feet against another wall, and then pushed off with great force, covering himself with his flames as he charged in head first. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu plummeted head first into right the side of the demon, the impact slamming it through the opposite wall. The damage done was unsure, since the emotionless demon quickly stood back up and stepped out of the hole, but that didn't bother the slayers as they stood firm against the monstrosity. The demon raised it's fist, and the slayers acted accordingly, ready to evade. But, instead of swinging the fist downward, the stone demon quickly aimed a kick right for Natsu. With wide eyes Natsu went flying, slamming into the wall behind him. "Gah! Did...did it just pull a feint?"<br>"It's learning!?" Takeru asked himself as he stood in shock at the demon's actions, as well as Leon. Leon quickly shook out of it, sliding back into a defensive stance. "Stay on guard!"  
>Takeru nodded, and copied Leon as he too took a defensive stance. This time, the demon did swing down the fist, and the two dragon slayers evaded, taking opposite sides of the demonic being. Takeru noted the the demon turned to Leon, so he quickly took action. He leaped into the air, and dove towards the demon with his arms crossed over his chest. "Shadow Dragon's Wing-"<br>It was another feint by the demon. It turned towards Leon, but it's attention was on Takeru the entire time. Before Tak could use his wing slash technique, the demon slammed a back elbow directly into the nose of the Shadow Dragon Slayer. The impact sent him soaring down the hallway, finally coming to a violent crash well away from the fight. Leon was now alone for the time being. He gulped, yet kept a calm expression as the demon stalked him. Leon then noticed something on the demon's side where Natsu landed his sword horn attack. "Red? Why is there a red spot on his side...?" It then clicked to him, and Leon began to smile. "Damage accumulation. It may not show pain, but it's hurting there, and with no stones around to eat, it can't recover." The smallest ray of hope caused Leon to laugh. A laugh that signified relief. He knew he was right about this assumption, but now was as good as any time to test out the theory. The demon charged, firing a left and then right punch towards Leon. He dodged them both, rolling under the second punch. He then came back to his feet, and the quickly leaped towards the exposed red area of the demon. "Acid Dragon's Claw!" Leon yelled, and then slammed the claw into the demon's side. The demon slid back from the impact, keeping its balance at the last second. Leon landed, and checked his progress. His eyes lit up in excitement. The red spot that was once shown became an even darker shade of red. He knew one thing was for sure, that the demon wasn't invincible. The attacks that landed were in fact accumulating damage. He couldn't contain the excitement from the new ray of hope he found as he turned to Natsu. That's when he just remembered that Natsu was temporarily out of commission. Leon then turned back...into a devastating head-butt from the demon. "H-how'd it move so fast...!" Was Leon's last thoughts before he went flying into the wall right next to Natsu, fading in and out of consciousness.

.

While the brawl inside the council headquarters ensued, over in Crocus, Levy and Lucy were on a different mission. The two girls were on their way to the Crocus city Library in hopes to find some information on demons and how to defeat them, unaware of Leon's new discovery of course. They took a right and continued down the street until they were about to pass a small house. As they walked passed it, Lucy stopped and blinked at the old man who had just stepped out. Her eyes then widened in disbelief at who was now making his way down the path from his house to the street. "G-G..."  
>Levy turned as well, also in disbelief. "Gran Doma!?"<br>He looked up, noticing two familiar faces looking back at him. "Lucy Heartfilia. Levy McGarden. I...I don't go by that name anymore."  
>Lucy then ran over towards the Gran Doma, grabbing the old man's hands. "Listen to us! Siegrain is out of control! Who out a bounty on our heads! And the only reason he dropped them is because he's using us to help him defeat Daityas but nothing's working! We need you and the real council circle back where you all belong!" The celestial mage immediately began to whimper as her eyes became cloudy. "We were your biggest problem, but you always had faith in Fairy Tail! Please come back to the council!"<br>The Gran Doma looked at the two sincere females, and then finally shook his head. "I'm sorry...but it's not up to me. Siegrain defeated us fair and square. The law is the law, no matter who writes it, and I've read the update. Siegrain has the law book iron clad to his favor."  
>"I'll try to find a loophole!" Levy exclaims. "I'll do whatever I can! We'll fight this!"<br>Even though he smiled at the girls ambition to help, he again shook his head. "Even if you did...the entire country of Fiore sees him as their hero. We know it was you guys who saved us from Zeref, but everyone else soullessly follows Siegrain just because he was the first to report the raw news of what happened, once again bending it to his favor."  
>Lucy and Levy slowly lowered their heads, the three of them standing in silence until Lucy broke it once more. "We won't give up. Levy will find a loophole. If not, we'll make him stand down, the Fairy Tail way!"<br>"You're going to force him to step down as the Council Chairman? That's impossible. And besides, you all have bigger things to worry about right now! Demons are about to take over this country, and then all of EarthLand."  
>"We know! We're in the middle of it!" Levy replied hastily. The little bluenette clasped her hands together, a pleading tone escaping her lips. "Just please, promise us...if we can find a way to remove Siegrain from the council, that you'll come back."<br>He hesitated, but then ended up succumbing to their plea. "Of course.. If you can impeach Siegrain, then I'll gather the original council circle and we'll take charge once more."  
>Another ray of hope has struck, this time for Lucy and Levy as they shared a smile. Lucy was so ecstatic she hugged the Gran Doma, laughing as he returned the hug. "Alright! Lets continue on to the library then!"<p>

.

The calm before the second storm was slowly coming to an end. Nami and Taya edged forward, causing Kiora, Cerberus and Maggie to do the same. Taya shifted her eyes to her sister, and without looking, Nami nodded. Finally, simultaneously they both took off, and just like Taya predicted in her head, Cerberus attacked first. They both dashed their separate ways, leaving the shadow hound in the middle, making him make a decision on who to go after. He chose Nami, and Nami planted her feet on the wall, pushing off as the muscular dog slammed shoulder first into it. As Nami hovered upside down, Maggie fired a lava whip towards her, in an attempt to grab her by the ankle. This action was halted by a dark vector as the two magics entangled. Nami was now free to attack the unaware Cerberus after firing a random light beam towards Kiora. The Fatal Embodiment moved out the way, all part of their plan to even the numbers as another dark vector fired towards Kiora, slamming into her shoulder and pushing her back away from her shadow dog. Nami then took aim as Cerberus blindly charged her. "Cerberus! Heel!"  
>He was ready to bite, but once hearing Kiora's command, the hell hound immediately sat on the brakes. This only made him an easier target as Nami thrusted her arms forward once more, firing another well sized beam if light magic directly against the animal. As Cerberus was pushed against the wall, nothing but whimpering was heard as he laid there twitching from it's front right leg. Kiora's jaw began to clench as she caused Cerberus to vanish back to where it came from. A small orb then hovered over her hand, and once she squeezed it, her favorite weapon was once again in her grasp. She wasted no time in swinging multiple strikes with the scythe, tearing the roof and walls apart with each extended swing. Close call after close call, the twins continued to evade. Even Maggie had to duck a swing to keep from being decapitated. "Hey! Kiora, love! Calm down!"<br>"Shut up." Kiora then charged the two as they attempted to recover from barely avoiding the onslaught. She then slid in between them both, and spun, swinging the scythe with her. In an act of desperation, Taya ducked as Nami leaped over the scythe. While crouched/in mid air, Taya slammed her palms to the ground while Nami raised hers to the air. One magic seal appeared under Kiora while another over her head.  
>"Holy rain!" Nami yelled, throwing her arms down. From her magic seal, simultaneously, a multitude of light magic rained upon Kiora as a twister of dark vectors attacked from below, viciously rising upward and colliding with the holy rain with Kiora in the middle of it all. Maggie helplessly watched in awe as her partner was now caught within the clashing elements. Finally, a harsh explosion finished off the seemingly endless onslaught. Taya and Nami hopped away, waiting for the results. Maggie seemed as if she already knew what happened as she clenched her fists and bared her teeth in anger. Before she could take another step forward, she looked on with yet another surprised expression. This time, the surprised look on her face turned into a wide grin as the smoke finally cleared. Kiora stood in a well sized orb made of her magic, unscathed from the previous attack. "I hope that didn't take much magic!" She boasted as the orb around her dispersed. Nami and Taya panted just a little, evidently angry at the wasted attack. Kiora smirked, and gave the "bring it" sign specifically to Nami. She obliged, taking off without hesitation. "Nami wait!"<br>Taya's plea went on deaf ears as Nami rushed towards Kiora. The Fatal Embodiment stepped back into her maker's stance, and then slammed her hands on the ground. From the magic seal, a horde of shadow created spiders, about the size of a fist each, crawled towards the light mage. Nami couldn't stop in time, and the arachnids quickly latched and crawled on to her. In a panic, she tried to pull them off, only to have them swarm her repeatedly. She could feel the bites, and nothing she was doing was helping her get rid of them.  
>"Nami..." Taya spoke to her sister as she summoned a magic seal under her own kin. "Hang on okay..." Taya then clenched her hand closed, another twister of dark vectors shot up, this time from under Nami. Once done, the spiders were completely obliterated, but the result came with a price as Nami fell back down to the ground, back first. She fought her way up to her feet, continuously struggling until she could stand. Halfway up, Maggie appeared in front of her, aiming a kick at her jaw. That kick was stopped short as Taya quickly cuts in, blocking the kick with one of her vectors. This bought Nami enough time as she made her way to her feet completely, panting heavily and wincing in pain. Taya shifted her eyes to her sister once more to see her condition. Once again, without exchanging words, Nami shook her head, signifying that she wasn't going to back down. Taya had no choice but to respect her decision as she turned back to the dynamic duo of Tartaros. Maggie gave a sadistic grin, and slowly, she began to lift her arms upward, starting from her waist side. As she raised them, the floor began to shake, as if an earthquake was occurring. Taya knew what was coming, but as she tried to get to Maggie, Kiora cut the dark vector mage off with another round of shadow lances. The lances slammed into Taya even though she cushioned the blow by covering up. Taya slid back on her feet while Nami tried to figure out what was happening. Taya quickly grabbed her sister as Maggie's arms made their way past her shoulders, and with her vectors, she wrapped themselves in a ball of her magic, similar to Kiora's last antic. Not a second later, lava shot up from the ground like a fountain. The fountain slammed the ball into what was left of the ceiling, before finally dispersing back into nothing. Taya removed the ball from around her and her sister, both safely landing on the ground. It was no Maggie showing a bit of exhaustion as she panted. She showed her frustrations towards the twins, side punching the wall beside her. "Something's gotta give! And it's not going to be us!"<p>

Leon's vision was now blurry, but he could see two figures in a stand off. One was obviously the stone demon. The other, was Trinity. The poison demon slayer stood between the demonic being and his guild mate. Leon tried to move, but was currently unable to. "Tr...Trin.." He could barely gather the words as he tried to explain how to defeat the demon, if Trinity could even hear him that is. "His..side..!"  
>"Kennedy...aim for the red mark on his side."<br>Trinity looked over to see a standing Natsu. He then sweat dropped as he realized the Dragon Slayer said his name wrong. "It's Trinity..."  
>"That read mark is a showing of the damage he's taken. Leon figured that out. So lets take it out while we can."<br>"The red mark huh?" Trinity spotted it, and then nodded. "I'm sure it'll e easier said than done, but lets do it."

Back on the roof, Evanee swings a hard high kick for Daityas' head. He blocks it with his forearm, pushing her back with a single swipe of the same arm. Rizu slides in, his body covered in a green aura as he swings a heavy right fist for Daityas gut. The demon slayer sways out of the way easily, and then slams a knee into the head Warden's stomach. Hunched over, Rizu then took a few jabs to the jaw from Daityas. He was merely toying around, awaiting the update on their "rescue Sora" mission. Evanee came in again, stopping short as she gathered a plethora of underworld magic within her mouth. She then fired the oral attack towards Daityas. He simply covered up, taking the attack head on. He spared no time in wafting away the smoke with a single wave of his arm. "I like you, you got spunk kid. It's too bad you're a goody two shoes mage. An Underworld magic attack? You were made for Tartaros."  
>Evanee disregarded everything he said, holding her stance as Rizu slowly made his way back to his feet, holding his jaw. Daityas smirked at them both, then gave a shrug. "Don't be shy. I still got time.<p>

Below them, outside the council Hq, Erza appears with Sora, escorting her to the carriage. They moved swiftly as Erza continued to watch every angle for an attack. They continued moving until a portal appeared in front of them both. Out stepped Rugal, but it was who was behind him that sent Erza into shock. "Arc...!" Though he couldn't see her due to the bandages over his eyes, her voice rung bells. "Scarlet. Long time no see. No pun intended."  
>"You rejoined Tartaros!?"<br>He chuckled at her question. "Well, they did free me, so I have to show my respects."  
>Erza raised a brow, keeping Sora behind her. "Freed you? From where?"<br>"Oh, your council friend didn't tell you? They kept me in a small hallway on the basement floor of the stronghold. You can't see it if you run or even walk past it."  
>Erza's shock only rose the more Arc spoke. "Why were you locked away!? You helped us back then!"<br>Arc gave a shrug, grinning at the memory. "Just one of Siegrain's many mistakes. One he'll pay for when I feel ready. Until then, hand over my favorite little mage."  
>Erza quickly requipped a sword in her hands, prepared to defend Sora. Arc moved Rugal out the way, and after a few steps forward, the two simultaneously charged and swung past each other in a jousting style attack. Erza's sword stabbed into the ground, out of her hands. She then felt an immense pain run through her shoulders. The adrenaline caused it to take a moment to kick in. Once it did however, Erza fell over face first from the unbearable pain. Sora watched, unsure how to respond. One side of her wanted to shake in fear. The other side wanted to congratulate the man who just out Erza down with one blow. "I know this guy..." She says as she watches Arc walk towards her. "Arcturus...Arc...Arcy... I know you."<br>"Of course you do Sora. We're best friends. Now, enough playing around. I know it's confusing now, and we seem like the bad guys.m, but once you have your memories back, you'll understand everything, and you'll be happy again."  
>Arcturus didn't give her time to answer. Her grabbed her hand and began walking back to the portal Rugal created. Before he entered, her turned around and yelled towards the roof. "Hey asshole!"<br>Up on the roof, he heard the familiar voice. He then turned and looked over the edge to see Arc and Sora. "Well I'll be, he joined us."  
>Arc then yelled again. "Lets leave, we got what we wanted." Without waiting on an answer, Arc walked Sora through the portal. Daityas grinned and grabbed the unconscious Tobias. He then turned back to Evanee and Rizu, winking before leaping off the roof.<br>Ruika was the first to spot the falling Daityas. She raised a brow, and looked out the window, noticing Rugal and Daityas leaving. "Time to go! It's been fun, not really." Ruika pointed Orion to the wall, and he created a hole for her. She then jumped out as Gray and Layanna watched her leave. Ruika walked towards the portal, and as she did, she cupped a hand around her mouth. "Maggie! Kiora! We're leaving!"  
>Her voice reached the four mages on the first floor. It echoed through the halls. Maggie and Kiora both perked up once they heard Ruika's voice. "They got Sora? Swangin' now lets dip."<br>Taya's eyes widened from Kiora's statement. "Sora!?"  
>"I'm not leaving.." Maggie replied. "Taya is going to die, right now!"<br>Kiora tugged on Maggie's arm. "Don't be that person Maggie. Her time is coming. Stick to the plan you told me!"  
>It took a few tugs, but Maggie finally allowed Kiora to pull her away as they quickly made an exit and a bee line for the portal. On cue, the demons leave their fights as well, the stone demon just escaping with it's life as the red mark on it's side was a shade away from being considered black.<br>Taya held Nami up once they left. "What now...?" Nami asked, trying to catch her breath.  
>"I don't know, Nami.<p>

I don't know."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: A Reunion and a Decision.

The Tartaros members all stood around Sora and Tobias as they went through the same process as the others. Maggie began looking around the room, her eyes wandering as her arms were folded over her chest. "Oh no...this place won't do. It doesn't feel like home at all." The Lethal Eruption shook her head as she waited with the others. In an underground grotto is where they stood. Kiora too huffed as she took note of the bland settings around her. "We would still have our castle, but someone turned it into a giant lacrima to revive someone who wasn't even dead and who also betrayed his own followers once he was awake just so he could change the world himself."  
>Daityas didn't respond to Kiora. Instead, he continued to watch Tobias and Sora. Kiora grinned at her own comment towards Daityas, impatiently tapping her foot as they waited for the process to end. Arc stood by himself, behind Daityas. He kept the slightest grin on his face. Everyone could feel it, even if they've became comfortable with the tense feeling. It was bloodlust, radiating off the darkness demon slayer. Everyone knew who it was for as well. Daityas remained poised, even with his back turned to Arcturus. Arc's eyes never left him however. Rugal and Ruika couldn't help but watch the two. Ruika blinked a few times, intrigued by Arc'a behavior. Rugal's expression was one of concern at the situation unfolding. The only people enjoying themselves in this moment were obviously Arc and Daityas as the Hells Flame Demon slayer cracked a grin of his own. "Just remember, we're all family here guys." Ruika says, breaking the tension to the obvious, yet brewing predicament.<br>At that moment, the small black magic seal from Sora's head disappears. She blinked a few times, and then came too. She looked around as everyone looked back at her with a smile. "Huh...? Everyone? How long have I been out?"  
>Maggie grabbed her, hugging her tightly. "Too long you spoiled brat. Too long."<br>Sora began to squirm, attempting to escape Maggie's hug. "Get off! And I'm not a spoiled brat you cow!"  
>Maggie laughed, tightening her grip to punish the young girl for calling her a cow. "M-Maggie!"<br>The rest of the guild surrounded Sora with welcome back pats and hugs. Arc finally hoisted her on to her shoulders, causing the little girl to laugh, clapping with enjoyment. "I missed this the most!" She said as everyone crowded around.  
>"Hey guys!"<br>No one turned around. Tobias was fully healed, and waved to his fellow mages, but all eyes were on Sora. "Guys..? Hey, it's me! Tobias! Nice to see...you...all."  
>The entire guild walked down the hall, out of the room, leaving Tobias in the room alone as he hunched over, blue lines comically hovering over him signifying his despair. Suddenly, Kiora ran back into the room with a smile on her face as she jogged over towards Tobias. He began to smile as she held her arms out while running towards him. His smile then grew as he opened his own arms. Kiora leaped towards him...and shoved him to the ground, running back out afterwards. "..."<br>Minutes later, everyone stood near the entrance to the grotto. They all stood around as Daityas took the middle. "Okay, before I can let you all in on the grandmaster plan-"  
>"Summon a bunch of elemental demons, take revenge on Fairy Tail and White Eclipse and then conquer Fiore and eventually all of EarthLand."<br>Daityas blinked towards Kiora, unsure of how to respond. Kiora shrugged. "I mean, it's not complicated. Why else would you give us personal demons? Oh! I know the answer, so we can spread out and take over Fiore faster, as well as dominate the two guilds that got lucky against us the first go around."  
>Maggie began to snicker as Daityas gave Kiora a glare. "Right...but first. According to Maggie, I owe you all one favor for my previous actions during the apocalypse, but I have a better idea. I've decided to combine your favors into one giant favor, because I don't have time to do five small favors for you all."<br>Immediately, the entire group huddled up without Daityas, Kiora literally kicking Tobias out of the huddle as they conversed. Tobias slid his way back in however, and the discussion continued. Seconds later the huddle broke with a Maggie walking to the front. She then cleared her throat. "We hate it here and we want a new home so we want to take over the Kingdom."  
>Daityas blinked. He blinked again, staring at them absent minded. "Can I ask why?"<br>"Have you seen their beds!?" Kiora asked with excitement, sparkles in her eyes as she shook in admiration. "Even the lowest person in that kingdom get a really nice bed! And the decorations, ugh! Lets go now!"  
>"Okay hold on hold on!" Daityas waved his hands in surrender, trying to calm down the now enthusiastic Kiora. "We'll do it, but first, we must prepare. We need a plan. Because if we just run in there, we'll be up against the royal guards, the council clowns, and the mages at once. Not saying we can't take them, but I'd rather have the kingdom already taken over before we go to war like that."<br>"War over the world's most comfortable beds!" Kiora yelled. "I'll go to war for that any day!"  
>"We've lost her..." Rugal shakes his head as Kiora continues to talk aloud about the comfortable mattresses and what not. Daityas then regained everyone's attention. "First things first." He then flipped open the book of Zeref. "Demons. Now, to recount, we have the Sky, Aquatic, and Stone Demon within our possession now. We had the Light, but that one was destroyed by the graces of luck and<br>a demon slayer."  
>"I'm sorry, a demon what?" Arc narrowed his eyes towards Daityas. "Oh, yeah there's like a slew of them now. Trinity showed his face again. He's a guild member for some guild called Black Phoenix I believe."<br>Arc cocked a brow. "Your brother Trinity?"  
>Things became quiet quickly as Daityas cut his eyes back towards Arc. "Don't ever call him that. He's no where near worthy." Arc merely grinned as Daityas regained his composure. "Anyways. There's a few of them now. I know one works lightning, Trinity has poison of course, and the one that killed the demon of light was a darkness demon slayer. Not even sure she's alive after her fight though. Currently, Maggie, Kiora, and Ruika have demons. So the rest of you come pick out your new toys.<br>Daityas passed around the book, and within seconds, everyone who didn't have a demon, circled the one they wanted personally. First was Sora. The demon that now stood beside her was the demon of shadows. It was colored the exact opposite of the demon of light, pitch black skin with white markings running down it's back. It looked exactly like it's counterpart except for the switch of colors. Next was Rugal, who now stood next to the demon of earth. It's skin was a light brown with dark green markings down it's back. It was bulky, brute looking as it towered over it's new master. Then was Arc. Beside him, the demon of Darkness, another counterpart of the light demon. It looked exactly like Sora's, except it had bright grey markings on it's back. Finally, it was Tobias. He stood beside a light green colored giant. It had white markings down it's back. Beside Tobias, stood the demon of Jade. He stood proudly beside his choice. "Wait..." Kiora says as she pointed towards Tobias's demon. "Doesn't jade strip people of their clothes!?"  
>Tobias nodded. "We'll be gathering revenge soon right? What's better than humiliating your victims then?" Maggie then leaned over to Kiora with her hand cupped over her mouth to signify a whisper, even though everyone could hear here. "He just wants to see naked girls."<br>"I do not!" Tobias yelled in a comical fashion.  
>"Alright Daityas." Kiora says as she points towards him. "Time to see who you chose!"<br>Daityas grinned. "I couldn't decide between two, so I took them both." After a small incantation, two magic seals appeared on each side of him. The first one out, was a gigantic, bright red skinned demon with yellow markings down it's spine. "First off. Meet the demon of flames. I chose the same route Arc did, grabbing a demon that could help me stay healthy if somehow someone ever gets lucky against me. And finally." Daityas pointed over to the grayish skinned giant climbing out of the circle. It was tall, yet completely skinny. It had an anorexic stature, the skin in it's face seeming like it was about to fall off. Black markings trailed down it's spine. The others stared at the demon with a more than skeptical expression. Daityas smiled at his pick patting it on the back. "Everyone, meet the demon...of death."  
>"It looks like it belongs in a retirement home." Ruika says, adding her comment into the fray. "Seriously, I thought all of our demons looked cool, and then you pull one out from the bingo hall."<br>He chuckled, shaking his head towards Ruika. "You'll see soon, Ru. It'll all make sense. Now..who's ready to take over a kingdom?"  
>Kiora quickly raised her hand, hopping on her demons back like a horse as it ran towards the entrance to the grotto. "I frickin am! Lets go!"<br>Everyone watched as Kiora ran outside. Minutes later she came back in. "...So we're not leaving yet?"  
>"We strike before dawn. So everyone get some sleep, or whatever. And I'll see you in...four hours!"<br>Sora then threw her hands in the air. "Next stop, Crocus!"

.

"So whose idea was it to call a meeting without the council? I rather not come to these things unless they were official." Reve made his way downstairs, sitting down in the usual chair as everyone sat around the main room of White Eclipse. He looked over towards the Twilight Zone section, noticing that Kairi wasn't present. "How come Kairi never shows up with you guys?"  
>"You know the answer to that, Reve." Evanee replied. "Hm..."<br>Taya and Nami stood next to each other, heavily bandaged. Leon, Natsu, and Takeru were also wrapped up. Lucy then took center stage. "Me and Levy called this meeting."  
>"Now I know it's not worth listening to." A few of the Eclipse mages snicker at Reve's comment. Lucy huffed, Natsu doing his best to ignore it as well. "Before I begin, Leon has a bit more important news. Leon."<br>"Huh? Oh, right. We know how to beat the demons."  
>"Well?" Sidney asked, waiting on the answer.<br>"They do in fact, accumulate damage. They're just emotionless, so don't expect them to show that they're hurting. Just keep attacking. One you've done enough damage at a certain spot, that spot will change color. That's proof that they are hurting. Still, it would be a good idea to attack the head or heart more than anywhere else. But that's how you win. We tested this out on the Stone demon, and that's how we came up with this."  
>"Damage accumulation huh? Sounds good, this'll help us a lot. Nice job boy."<br>Leon nodded towards Master Mac, and then took a step back as Lucy retook the spotlight. "Okay, the reason we called you here besides that is... Me and Levy ran into the Gran Doma the other day, and...he agreed, that if we can get Siegrain to step down from the council chair, he'll return, along with the others."  
>Lucy flinched, awaiting for the others to quickly shoot her down and vote against it. Instead.<br>"Hell yeah lets do it!" Reve said as he slid to the edge of his seat in excitement. "I'm all in!" Rylo cheered before holding on to his injured arm. An uproar of the unanimous vote unleashed within the guild. Lucy and Levy stood next to each other, smiling happily that everyone for once, were in agreement. "Only one problem." The excitement halted. Everyone then looked over towards Zalen. "Siegrain is backed by the kingdom, because they think he's a hero. How are we going to get past that?"  
>Levy then responded. "We're still working on that. But we'll come with an answer soon!"<br>"How are we going to remove him!" Natsu asked, anticipating a certain answer. Lucy then grinned towards her partner. "By force of course. The new law book is iron clad, so it's the only way to do it."  
>"That's fine with me!" Natsu exclaimed, punching his fist together to spark his magic.<br>"Once we find the time, Siegrain is going down!"  
>"Yeah!" Everyone in the guild yelled in unison, throwing a fist in the air. Just then, the door opened. Entering, was a blonde haired blue eyed female. She ran over to Master Mac of Aurora Pistola and bowed to everyone. "S-sorry I'm late!"<br>"Whoa..." Luke's eyes immediately lit up. He blinked once and never again as he stared at the female that stood next to Mac. Mac patted her on the head. "Everyone, meet Leia. Don't let her looks fool you, she's a tough one." Everyone in the White Eclipse guild turned to Luke, and immediately shook their heads. "Here we go." Reve says. Taya slaps Luke on the back of his head, causing him to snap out of his trance. "Hey!"  
>"You're drooling, Luke." Lucy says with a snicker.<br>"Poor kid setting himself up for another heartbreak." Heather added as she and Asamì stood next to each other.  
>"Well Leia, no need to apologize, because we are done here." Reve then clapped his hands together. "Alright, now, everyone...get the hell out. Calium is trying to sleep."<p>

.

It was late in the city of Crocus, already into the next day as the princess was perched on the balcony outside, watching the stars. She didn't get to enjoy them long however, as the knight, Arcadios made his presence known as he he stood behind her. "Princess Hisui, it's too late to be standing out here alone. With everything going on now, we have to keep a close eye on you."  
>Hisui huffed, and then turned, walking towards and then past Arcadios. He soon followed. "I know you don't like it, but until Siegrain has calmed everything down, we can't lose sight of you."<br>"If I hear that name one more time.." She snapped back, sitting at the edge of her bed. "But princess, he's the hero of Fiore."  
>"And you're the only one in this room that believes that. You mean to tell me, that the same guild that saved us from the dragons, aren't the real ones responsible for saving us from the apocalypse? And that one man did instead?"<br>Arcadios shook his head. "I can't change your beliefs, but just be careful around your father with such a tongue, Princess Hisui." Arcadios then walked out of her bedroom and down the hall, lowering his head as he disappeared.  
>Back in her took, Hisui clasped her hands together as she sighed. "Natsu, I know it was you. I can't get in contact with you, but if you were to tell me that Fairy Tail were the real heroes, I'd believe you. I'd do whatever I could to back you up. Siegrain." She scoffed at the name before crawling under her covers and eventually closing her eyes to sleep.<p>

Exactly four hours later, it began. The unified march caused low tremors within the area. Lights began to turn on as people stuck their heads out of their windows to see what the commotion was. Half of them froze in absolute shock as the other half quickly re closed their windows and turned off their lights. Marching the main streets, Tartaros was locked and loaded as nine demons carried the eight Tartaros mages on their shoulders. Kiora then stood up on her demon's shoulders. "I don't know what I've been told!"  
>The aquatic demon then howled in the same tune she spoke, attempting to repeat her words in it's own language. "But this castle's about to fold!"<br>The demon once again mimicked Kiora's tune. She patted it on the head with a smile. "I taught it that." The others merely shook their head as they continued onward. Once the castle entrance was in plain sight, a loud alarm began to go off.  
>Back inside the castle, Acardios and a few other guards barge through the princess's room, instantly waking her. "What's going on!?" Hisui asked in a panic as she snapped awake. "Princess! We have to get you out of here now! Demons are headed this way!"<br>"Demons?" She was still a bit groggy, but she leaped out of her bed, and ran towards the outside balcony to see what was happening. From a distance, Kiora pointed directly towards her. "I see you princess! I'm coming for your bed!"  
>"Who are they?" Hisui asked Arcadios, who was pulling her away from the balcony. "They're Tartaros mages! There's no time to fully explain! We're trying to reach Siegrain now, but until then as must get you to safety!"<br>"Siegrain!? Call Fairy Tail, not him!"  
>"Not now princess!"<p>

Meanwhile back at the broken down council headquarters. Siegrain sat in his office with the lights off. His "fight" with Daityas had torn the council leader apart mentally. The blunette sat at his desk, staring at the wooden surface as the lacrima in front of him went off continuously. He stared at his desk in a trance like state. Knocking then came from his door as well. "Siegrain sir." Lahar spoke before knocking again. Outside, all the captains stood around his door. Odin paced a bit as Lahar and Ultear stayed beside the door. "He's really shaken up..." A few more knocks, and Lahar spoke again. "Siegrain sir. The kingdom needs your help. They're counting on you to stop Daityas before he takes it over."  
>Siegrain didn't answer. Instead, he just sat there in his torn up clothes, yet to change from the one sided fight. The silence within his office was only broken by the knocking, and the lacrima continuously going off, waiting for him to answer.<p>

The main doors to the castle were blown off their hinges. The demon of death crouched down as it entered through the large opening that was the entrance. Once inside, the tall but scrawny demon held it's palms outward as it walked forward. Swirls of death magic spun around its hands as it stalked along the main lobby of the kingdom. One by one, Royal guards fell lifelessly to the ground. The demon then stopped walking on Daityas' command. In front of them now, was the king himself, shakily holding his sword. "A king must draw his...his sword for his country...! I won't allow you to take another step..!"  
>The mages blink, and then burst into a fit of laughter. The laughter ensued for a good minute before Daityas finally spoke again. "That's fine. Come at us, your highness."<br>The king shook tremendously, his not allowing him to move. Everyone in the room bedsides him and Tartaros were already taken care of by the demon of death's ability. It was just them. The king then gave in, dropping his useless sword and falling to his knees as he begged for mercy. "Please...I have a little one to take care of. You can have the kingdom..just let us go."  
>Daityas then crouched down to his level as the others stood behind him with sadistic expressions. "You have a little one to take care of huh?" Daityas scoffed, and then pointed to Sora. "Hey look, so do we. She needs a place to sleep, and we decided nothing is too good for her. Just look at her.." The king kept his eyes glued to the floor, until Daityas forcefully grabbed him by his throat, forcing him to look at Sora. "I said look at her!"<br>Sora smiled, waving with her right hand while keeping the left one behind her. She balanced on her feet in an innocent manner. "But I'll tell you what.. We'll let you leave. If...you can name everyone here."  
>His eyes lit up. The king then confidently nodded. "Yes! Yes I can do that! You're all famous from your apocalypse run!" He gasped for air as Daityas released him. The king then stood up, holding his neck as he pointed around the room, naming the mages.<br>"You're Daityas of course! That there is Hell's Sorceress, Ruika! She's the Lethal Eruption, Maggie! The Fatal Embodiment, Kiora! The dimensional mage, Rugal! The darkness demon slayer, Arcturus! The shadow puppeteer, Sora! And...and..." His eyes widened. The king was stuck. He couldn't remember Tobias' name for the life of him, which was soon about to be taken away. Snickers were heard from everyone but Tobias, who began to visibly seethe at the absence of knowledge the king held to his name. His majesty then turned to Daityas in a pleading manner. "That's not fair! You added a new member since then!"  
>"You son of a -"<br>Before Tobias could finish his sentence, an eruption of laughter happened, echoing throughout the whole room. His fellow mages once again continued to laugh, this time at the misfortune of Tobias. The mage clenched his fist as he heavily seethe towards his majesty. "Sorry king, but /Tobias/ has been here with us from day one. You lose." Daityas then turned to Tobias with a light snicker. "Hey, 'new kid,' want to do the honors?"  
>Tobias didn't hesitate. With a long sword appearing in his hands, the king didn't have time to desperately beg as he thrusted the blade into the chest cavity, the monarch falling over in silence.<br>After the fun was over, Daityas then turned back to everyone. "Alright, lets do a quick look around for stragglers, and then, we can all get comfortable. They all nod in unison and split up, easily covering the entire palace in minutes. Kiora didn't even search. Instead, she made a bee line for the princess's former quarters, her eyes sparkling once she turned on the light to the room. She walked over to the bed, and placed a single finger on it, over exaggerating the comfortability as she pretended to pass out from the single touch.  
>Everyone found their own rooms, and as they did so, Daityas took seat on the throne. Before that, he picked the crown up from the kings fallen head, and placed it on his. "First the King of Hell, and now I'm the King of Fiore. And with these two demons by my side, there's no way I'll fail this time. A plan without Zeref..that's been the key all along.<p>

Well out of Crocus by now, Hisui couldn't help but shed tears as Arcadios gave her the news that her father stayed behind to "boldly" defend the palace. The carriage rode onward as she finally sat up from Arcadios's chest, wiping her eyes as she looked out the window. It took sometime, but the knight had no choice but to follow her every command now that they were more than sure that the king existed no more. Within the hour, with the sun still rising over the horizon, Magnolia was in their sights. Princess Hisui finally got her wish. Unsure of the difference it would make didn't keep her from now pouring her faith into the same team that saved them from the dragons. They were headed

to Fairy Tail.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Beginning of Change.

With an hour or so passing,  
>Daityas remained on his new throne with his two demons beside him. Leaning on the right arm rest, he slouched a bit, holding up his chin. Upon his right knuckles, waiting. What he was waiting for, finally arrived. Seconds later, a male, wearing a chef's uniform walked out into the throne room shakily holding a tray. The chef gulped, cautiously walking towards the new, self proclaimed King of Fiore. "He-Here is your food, sire."<br>Daityas grinned as the tray was placed in front of him. "I told you, it's Lord Daityas. That's what you'll address me as if you want to live."  
>The man immediately bowed in fear. "Y-y-yes Lord Daityas!"<br>Daityas ignored the cowering male before him, and then pulled off the top of the tray, revealing a small, yet well prepared meal. The small assortment of food was more than appealing to him, and immediately he began eating, finishing within a matter of seconds. Upon an ill mannered belch escaping the demon slayer's throat, he leaned back into his throne. The man stared back at Daityas skeptically, twisting his hat within his hands as he did so. "Was...was everything to your liking, sir?" He asked, continuously wrenching the hat like a rag in a nervous habit. Daityas sucked his teeth a few times, to clean the contents from his mouth, then finally looked towards the chef's way. "Well, I'm no culinary artist, chef, but I feel like...poisonous items aren't supposed to be in such quality meals. I could be wrong though. Am I wrong?"  
>His eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Not only was the demon slayer immune to the man made poison, but he knew it was there. It's was obvious that he, and whoever helped had greatly underestimated their "victim" when coming up with their plan. He trembled, now more than he ever did previously. He knew he was going to die. "I...I..!" The chef couldn't muster the words. There was really nothing that could be said. He was caught red handed, and as Daityas rose from his seat, the chef immediately fell to the ground after taking a step backwards. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking! Please don't kill me!"<br>"Kill you? For what? You pose an even smaller threat than the guards we've swept through earlier, and they're like insects to me. You're an asset. A very small, minuscule one, but an asset nonetheless. If I killed you, who would cook for us? One of my own? Now that's poison." Daityas crouched down towards the chef, grabbing his left arm and squeezing it tightly. "But next time, I'll just have to find me another chef to enslave! So be gracious, that your masterful skills somehow gave you a free pass against the Kill of Hell." His calm manner, in a flash, switched into a dark, demonic feeling. His hair created a shadow covered the natural hue of his eyes as he stared into those of the chef. The helpless man nodded vigorously, praying for Daityas to release his now broken arm as he held in the cries of pain. "Now that you have one arm, I'll give you five extra minutes to have meals ready when the time is given. Late, and I'll break your leg next. Late again, and I'll find me another chef, and I'll allow my demons here to fight over who gets you as an appetizer. Are we understood?"  
>"Yes Lord Daityas! Understood!"<br>He released him, the chef quickly running off back to the kitchen with his limp arm. Daityas made his way back to his throne, sitting once more as the demons stood beside him like statues, patiently waiting orders. "Humans...they know no quit, even when they literally forfeit. I don't know if that poison strategy was sheer stupidity and ignorance, lack of knowledge to the strength of us, or a desperate attempt that was conjured up by someone with a ray of hope. Hope, what a funny word. These humans, though as trivial as they are, never cease to amaze me."

.

The carriage came to a halt, and without waiting on Arcadios, Hisui hopped out, running towards and then knocking on the Fairy Tail guild door. "Slow down princess!" Arcadios called out as he caught up to her. Hisui ignored the knight's wishes as she clasped her hands in front of her, resting them in her lap as she waited for an answer. She could hear them from inside. The rambunctious guild and their antics, as if it was any other day. Hisui was feeling impatient, wanting to speak to her heroes for the longest, so without a second series of knocks, she pushed the door open to the guild. Inside, everyone was swarmed around a table yelling and cheering as Natsu and Gray stood upon it, facing off against each other.  
>"What did you say, Flame Head!?" Gray growled, pushing his head against Natsu's as a frosty aura began to flow from his combined hands. Natsu then began to push back, fire now covering both of his fists. "You heard me! I'll take you on right now!"<br>The plethora of cheers and instigation grew louder from the fellow mages. Lucy and Juvia were on their respective sides, attempting to talk the ice maker and fire dragon down. To the side, Makarov, Erza, and Mirajane all stood at the bar, watching the normal routine. "Aren't you going to break it up, Erza?" Mirajane asked her. She merely shook her head as she folded her arms over her chest. "Eventually, but lately I don't even have the energy to jump in there right away."  
>"Hm." Was the guild master's only response as he took another drink from his mug.<br>Arcadios and Hisui continued to watch, noticing that no one has yet to notice them. Finally, after waiting long enough, Arcadios obnoxiously cleared his throat to garner the attention of the guild. Instead of getting the proper attention, the knight was taken down by a flying Elfman. Elfman landed on top of him, leaving Arcadios dizzy as the beast soul takeover mage stood back up yelling. "What did you throw me for Natsu! I'm not even in the fight! That isn't Man at all!"  
>Natsu turned with a smug grin, one that was quickly erased as he spotted Hisui standing next to the unaware Elfman. He blinked a few times as the others followed. Natsu the pointed towards her. "Hisui!?"<br>"PRINCESS HISUI!?" Everyone added simultaneously. She tilted her head to the side with a small smile, and following the gesture, everyone went into a panic.  
>"We didn't do it! Siegrain is lying!" Natsu yelled as he ran around the guild in a panic for no reason.<br>"Someone told about our plan! Who here's the snitch!" Gajeel exclaimed in a demanding voice. He then pointed to Nab, standing at the job board. "Was it you Nab!?"  
>"What!?" Nab was caught off guard, unable to deny Gajeel's accusations in time. "N-No it-"<br>"TRAITOR!" Gajeel slammed an uppercut into Nab's chin, comically sending the mage through the ceiling. Gray then pointed to Arcadios, who was still on the floor in a daze. "Look! Elfman knocked out Arcadios!" The shirtless mage yelled. "We have to disown him!"  
>Elfman saw Arcadios on the ground, and immediately grabbed his head in a panic. "What!? It was an accident! Natsu threw me!"<br>Natsu then looked towards Erza, pointing back at the Strauss brother. "Quick, Erza! Do the speech before we all get blamed!"  
>Mirajane, sighed, lowering her head as Makarov calmly watched his idiots. "That's ridiculous guys. It wasn't that serious. Erza isn't going to- Erza what are you doing!?" Mirajane looked up in a comical shock as Erza stood with the Fairy Tail armor and the guild flag in her hands. "Elfman! Lets get this over with!"<br>Mirajane deadpanned, appearing in front of Erza the next second with her patented smile, waving towards the scarlet haired female in surrender. "Maybe we should all calm down and see what they want first."  
>"We're not here to arrest anyone.." Arcadios made his way back to his feet, rubbing his skull with a pained groan. Hisui then bowed slightly, raising up again as she began to speak. "We have a crisis. My father...the king...is no longer with us."<br>"What!? What happened!?" Lucy asked, already excreting a certain answer, as well as everyone else. Hisui lowered her head, holding back the tears she's been restraining since she herself heard the news. "They came right before dawn. Nine demons, all carrying the Tartaros mages towards the palace. Without hesitation they came through the front doors, right where the throne room is. Arcadios...told me how he refused to leave, and decided to defend the palace..."  
>Silence fell heavily on the once rambunctious guild. Hisui would then continue. "So Tartaros has taken over the kingdom. Who knows how many they've killed already. This is why I've come to you. You're the only heroes I know."<br>Gajeel then arched a brow as he began his unnecessary statement. "What about the hero of Fiore, Siegrain? Where is that bastard huh?"  
>"Gajeel!" Levy scolded, giving the dragon slayer an angered stare. Hisui lowered her head again, shaking it negatively. "My father was a fool for relying on someone who didn't actually save Fiore."<br>Erza then arched a brow herself. "So you believed it was us after all?"  
>"Yes! That's why I'm here! I know that you're the real heroes of Fiore. No one can defeat a hoard of dragons and not have anything to do with Zeref attacking the country. I knew that he was a fraud, but somehow he convinced my father, as well as everyone else. "Hisui side glared Arcadios, causing him to look away with a guilty expression.<br>"Princess Hisui." Everyone turned as Makarov hopped down from the bar and walked towards the emerald haired royal figure. "With your father gone, you are now the one in charge right? You're the queen now?"  
>She nodded. "As soon as we can remove those demons from the palace."<br>"In that case, we'll help you. Only if you allow us to do this our way."  
>"Master! Now isn't the time for negotiations is it?" Erza asked. Makarov merely waved her off as he continued. "We only have a few demands. Our first one, is to allow us to forcefully remove Siegrain from the council chair. Even though with you now in charge, the need to remove him forcefully is great, in order to repay him for what he's been doing to my brats for so long."<br>"What has he been doing?" She asked, blinking curiously.  
>"Ever since he was dubbed the hero of Fiore, the laws everywhere except<br>Crocus has changed. He did this quietly enough for your palace to overlook it, yet with enough flair and charisma to appeal to the people of Fiore. These laws he created, caused Fairy Tail to be seen as the public enemy. As if we were prisoners of horrible crimes that were just set free. My children couldn't roam the streets without being constantly questioned, pulled over, even occasionally attacked for no reason. Siegrain even went as far as allowing the city of Magnolia throw stones at our heads. I've been waiting for so long, and I won't let that go unpunished."  
>The tension in the room rose as Makarov made his declaration. They all remembered as if it was yesterday. The clenching of fists could be heard as the memory replayed in everyone's head. Hisui looked around, and then gave a small smile. "Well then, as my first act as queen of this country, I give you permission to do whatever you please, as long as you stay on track with the mission. Any law that Siegrain has placed against you, is now voided by me."<br>Those serious glares turned into serious grins and smirks. Knuckles began to crack as near sadistic chuckles filled the air of the guild. "Scary." Hisui said to herself with a worried smile and a sweat drop.  
>"Every law huh?" Makarov's grinned as well, pulling on the facial hair above his lip. "Then here's our plan. We're going to have to allow them to have the throne for a while."<br>"Preposterous!" Arcadios yelled, stepping forward. "We gave you the conditions you wanted, now help us!"  
>Makarov ignored the outburst, confident that his further explanation would bring clarity. "We've ran into these demons you speak if already, and the results weren't pretty. We even had help, and we didn't succeed. That was back when there was only one of them. Now there's nine you say? If Daityas wanted to destroy this country, he could do it with the snap of his fingers. But he hasn't, which makes me to believe that he has a personal vendetta to attend to before truly conquering Fiore. I'm almost certain, that we are that vendetta."<br>"They want a war!?" Natsu pounded his left fist into his right palm, grinning with excitement. "Then we'll give them one!"  
>Makarov shook his head. "We will, but right now, we're on their terms. We don't know how they want to do this, and charging in against them is beyond foolish. We stand no chance as of now. So until they make a move, we need to focus on our first task at hand."<br>"Even so Master." Erza says as she takes a step in. "The last time we went against the council, we didn't fair to well against them and the stronghold members."  
>Makarov turned towards Erza with a wide grin. "That's okay! The laws against us have been removed remember? So this time, along with White Eclipse, we'll have the necessary backup! So to prepare for a war on the demons of Tartaros, we must first win this war on the council. Alright my brats, lets get ready!"<br>Hisui smiled as the guild began to cheer once more, psyching each other up for the impending brawl against Seigrain and his men. "I knew it was them all along, and it's upsetting that it took my father's death for the truth to come to the light, but I'm glad Fairy Tail will get to shine once more. They are my heroes after all."

.

They all sat down, circling around an extremely round table. Though about fifty chairs were stationed, only the Tartaros mages filled them. Kiora came walking in last, yawning as she took her seat next to Maggie. Maggie looked over to her partner, grinning. "That bed really that comfortable?"  
>Kiora stretched her arms into the air, making an obnoxious sound in the process. "Better than any acid bath Maggie."<br>"Sora wants to sleep there next!" She yelled. Kiora quickly turned towards the little girl, pointing at her. "No! I called dibs so get your own!"  
>"But it's the princess's room! You're not a princess you're a hag!"<br>"...I'm a what!?" Kiora's left eye began to twitch, quickly becoming annoyed with Sora. She then took in a deep breath. "Nope, not today Sora. Not today. Daityas if you would please start."  
>He shook his head as Kiora and Maggie simultaneously propped their feet upon the table. "Right. So, about the plan to take revenge on Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. I have the perfect idea that will destroy then mentally, emotional and physically. After that, it's a matter of getting our fill until we're bored of them, killing them in the end."<br>"And that plan is?" Ruika asked, daunting an impatient tone.  
>"We are going to force them to compete against each other."<br>The room went quiet, everyone looked around towards one another before Tobias raised his hand. "Shut up Tobias."  
>Tobias then lowered his hand. Rugal was the next to raise his hand. "How will this do those things? How will it drain them?"<br>"That was going to be my question." Tobias murmured.  
>"Well lets think about it. If we were to invite any guild that was bold enough to try and stop us right; which doesn't matter who, just as long as we Fairy Tail and White Eclipse in it. We'll create events, back to back, giving them no time to rest. Then, the final ten that pass, will have a survival style tournament against our demons. They'll have to face them one on one each. Sounds great right? Once they lose, we'll just pick them apart like vultures, because they really aren't worth our full strength."<br>"Okay..." Maggie takes her feet down from the table, now leaning against it with her elbows. "And how do we make them cooperate to do so?"  
>"Too easy. Hostage situations of course. Come on Maggie you know these things."<br>"And who are we taking as hostage?" Arc then asked.  
>"It's not who we're taking. It's what we will agree to give back. This country. We'll agree to leave forever if they somehow win against us. Even though if they do somehow win against us, we still won't leave because we're not worrying about winning or losing. We just want to play with them until they can't even fight back anymore. Then toss then around some more. And then finally, we end their lives. They know by now that we have the power to take over Fiore in a matter of hours, but everyone here wants the same thing first. To personally erase the mages that embarrassed us the first time. So lets make this happen."<br>"We'll need time to prepare." Rugal added. "We should make it like their Grand Magic Games, or at least, along those lines."  
>"That's what the events are for right?" Kiora chimed in. "Let us create those yo! I already have one in mind!"<br>Daityas nods, grinning at the new found willingness and somewhat of excitement his fellow Tartaros mages were slowly expressing. "Yes, each of you design an event. Then, whoever survives those events, will have to fight a series of one on ones against our demons."  
>Sora then raised her hand. Daityas turned to the little girl with a cheerful smile. "Yes, Sora?"<br>"Will people be watching?"  
>Daityas blinked. A grin then overcame his features as an idea just came to him. "Silly me, how selfish. Why yes, we will have an audience. A specific audience. I'll need all of your help gathering them."<br>Everyone looked at one another, then turned back to Daityas as Tobias asked. "A specific audience?" The King of Hell continued to grin. "Come family, we're going to take a quick trip. It shouldn't take long at all."

.

Another two hours pass, and still no movement from the council leader. Siegrain was still seated behind his desk, staring at it's surface with such a blank stare that a case could be made if he was even alive or not. Outside, the captains, Lahar and Odin, along with Ultear, Doranbolt and Layanna waited, feeling sympathetic for their leader. "I feel like we should force our way in." Odin suggested. Ultear merely shrugged as she stayed leaning against the wall. No one really responded to Odin's suggestion. Lahar finally sighed, and walked back towards the door, planning on doing what Odin asked of them. Before he could grip the doorknob however, it turned on it's own. Lahar backed away, a surprised expression on his face as Siegrain pulled the door open, his head lowered as he stepped out. His royal blue hair shadowed his eyes as he made his way out into the hallway, and then began walking down it. "Siegrain...sir!"  
>"Man your stations...Tell the stronghold team to ready as well." Siegrain muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Confused outlooks sparked the hallway until he spoke again. "They're coming."<br>"The demons!?" Odin asked as he ran to the window at the hallways end just behind him. He looked outside to see what seemed like an army of them. Siegrain answered again, clarifying the assumption. "No...the mages."

The front line was in a full sprint. It was the first time in a while that they were the ones on the attack. They had no one to save, no one to protect, but someone to take out. Natsu, Leon, Sting, and Takeru were the most anxious four, leading the mixture of guilds forward. Once in a certain range, the swarm broke off into three large groups, Natsu and the others still heading for the front door. "WILD!" Bacchus yelled as he, Erza, Rylo, and Taya led a group to the right of the council head quarters. The word "Four" echoing behind him as they charged on.  
>"Take no prisoners!" Yelled the cocky gunslinger as he, Laxus, Jura and Kagura led their group to the left side of the council building. Inside they were waiting. They didn't have time to prepare any outside forces, but still, the council and stronghold members stood rock steady as the waiting the incoming mages. There was no calm before the attack. Their loud cheers and war cries filled the air all the way until the point of impact. Finally, simultaneously, three explosions occurred, and without any delay, the mages poured through the council building walls, charging in without any sign of hesitation. From the front, Natsu and Leon both slam their fist into the first guards they see. Leaping over behind them, Sting slams an haymaking downward punch into another. Takeru ran up the right wall, then leaped off, diving towards another random. He then slammed an open palm to the soldier's face, slamming his skull against the ground.<br>"As long as your under Seigrain's rule, we will have no mercy on you!" Erza unsheathed a sword and pointed it forward. "Attack them!"  
>Behind her, they flooded onward. Bacchus literally ran by a slew of council guards, laughing as he fired off a plethora of magic palm techniques. He came to a stop, and after a delayed reaction, they all fell to the floor unconscious. Rylo then appeared, using his breakdancing background to land a plethora of kicks into the jaws and abdomens of the soldier. Spinning on his hands, he finally leaped into the air by pushing off of them. All attention was on, allowing a wave of dark vectors by Taya to slam into the unaware council guards.<br>Natsu and the Dragon Slayers continue to make their way through the main hallway, casually splitting into smaller and smaller groups as everyone searched for Siegrain. The guards continued to be nothing but warmups as they happily took them out, group by group. Natsu, Leon, Sting, and Rogue continued on past the now hesitant soldiers, until they ran into familiar faces to the Salamander. It was two of the Stronghold Lieutenant wardens, Black and White. They both grinned as they bowed. They then raised back up to their normal stance. "You didn't really think you'd get far, did you?"  
>Sting and Rogue made their way in front if Natsu and Leon, Sting cracking his knuckles. "These must be the guys Erza was talking about?"<br>Natsu nodded. "Yeah! That's them! They control light and shadows."  
>"They did.." Rogue adds. "But now we're here."<br>"What's that!?" White says as he clenched his right fist towards Rogue. "You think you're better than us!?"  
>Sting grinned, holding a cocky stance as he held his arms out in a shrug. "Natsu, you two can keep moving, our fun is here."<br>"Right." Both he and Leon nodded, and then took off around Black and White along with their group. The two lieutenants were too prideful to stop the others, now accepting the twin slayers challenge. "You two want to mess with the masters of light and shadow? Well bring it on dragons!"

Another explosion, another hole in the wall, and Erza's team continued ahead. A quick sprint down the hallway, somewhat being delayed by the swarm of guards heading their way. Easily they were taken out. Bacchus and Erza led that charge against the wave, running by with a series of sword dancing and palm strikes. Just like Natsu's team, they continued to split up in each direction as more hallways appeared, slowly thinning down each time. Their run came to a complete halt, as they now stood before the lieutenants known as The Entertainment Trio. Immediately, Rylo blinked, slowly pointing towards the three. "...You guys work here now?"  
>They returned the same action. A simultaneous "Rylo!?" escaping their throats. Bacchus then turned back to the magician. "You know these guys?"<br>Rylo then nodded. "This is the Entertainment Trio. Former assassins. Lets just say, when they were assassins, they were a foursome, not a trio."  
>"You were an assassin once, Rylo?" Flynn asked from the back. The magician then chuckled. "Yeah but lets keep that a secret between us Flynn. No one else in the guild knows. I mean no one."<br>Flynn nodded as Rylo redirected his attention back to the lieutenants in front of him. "You guys keep it moving. I'll handle these three."  
>Bacchus grinned, and quickly took off to the right, leading the way for the remaining mages. Once the hallway was clear, Rylo smirked, fixing his shirt. "Been a while guys. Y'all still suck?"<br>Wallace, the leader of the Trio, clenched his fists, snarling towards the magician. "Lets just hurry and wrap this up so we can grab the rest of your pathetic team."  
>Rylo yawned, showing no sign of interest to the upcoming three on one. "This shouldn't take long. So lets start the show, shall we?"<p>

Two streams of lightning, followed by a plethora of magic bullets cleared the hallway of opposing guards. Reve and Laxus stood side by side before their group began running forward once more. Just like the other two, the same process was repeated as they thinned out, causing havoc in each room and passageway. Kagura ran in front next, and with a single swipe she took out a line of guards. They all fell to the ground after a short delay. More came from behind her, quickly cut off and crushed by Jura, who produced to rock walls and slammed them together. The force shatter the rock walls within themselves, and the guards caught inside now laid unconscious.  
>Once again, all forward movement was halted as a jacket flew into the air. Dól, the lieutenant warden of the stronghold basement now stood in their way. He bared his teeth as he stared each of them down. "You may eventually overtake me, but I'm not letting you pass without a fight."<br>"That won't be necessary." Kagura stepped forward once more, holding her hands on her sheathed sword. "I'll be your opponent. The others will continue ahead. You won't last long anyways."  
>"As if I'm going to let anyone willingly pass. I said all of you come at me! I-"<br>Before he could finish his sentence, Kagura held her sheathed sword to his throat. Dól quivered. He didn't even see her coming. Kagura then nodded to Reve and the others as their team made their way passed Dól. Once everyone was cleared through, Kagura removed her sword from his throat and calmly took a few steps back. "It's been so long, due to Siegrain's ban on our alliance that I had a fight, so please make this interesting."  
>"Who does she think she's talking to!?" Dól began to seethe, clenching his upper body as the tattoos on him began to move around. "I'll make this interesting alright! You won't win this one!"<p>

"Are you sure they'll show up here, Rizu?" Valry asked as she held her patented whip. Her entire torso was bandaged under her uniform from her recent "fight" with Maggie. Beside her were the other two wardens from the Stronghold, Drail and Bull. In front of them, the head warden, Rizu, stood waiting with his arms folded. "Trust me, they'll be coming here. Everyone else is fighting downstairs, so they'll be appearing here any second now.  
>Behind them, Odin, Doranbolt, Ultear, and Lahar waited anxiously as well. And finally, behind the crowd of the strongest council members, a damaged Siegrain also waited. His hair still shadowed over his eyes as he stared at the ground. Both of his hands were balled into a fist. The blunette, who remained quiet the entire time they've been waiting on the hallway, finally whispers. "They're here."<br>From the roof a hole was violently created. From it, Evanee appears, landing in a crouching position. Jumping down behind her, was Tristan. The two stood together in a battle ready stance as a puff of white smoke appeared between them both. "What's this?" Drail asks with a raised brow. He scratched his head in confusion, then turned back to check the numbers between the aces and the council wardens and captains. "Three on eight? Do you three really think you can handle eight of us one your own?"  
>"Check your math, warden." Drail and the others looked up towards the hole in the roof. Dropping down from it was a male wearing a white mask. In his left hand, he hoisted a bag over his shoulder. He stood five feet, nine inches. On his arm was the Shaman's Haven guild insignia, signifying where he was from.<br>"Roy." Tristan called out to the newcomer. "You could at least stand beside us and not in front."  
>Roy looked back, noticing his position. "Oh! Right! My bad, just used to the spotlight." He replied. Roy then hopped back a bit, standing next to Evanee, Sidney, and Tristan in that order from left to right.<br>"Still!" Valry yelled as she unraveled and cracked her whip. "You don't stand a chance against us all!"  
>"So what are you brave aces waiting for?" Odin asked, grinning towards the four. "Siegrain is who you want right?"<br>"Correction. We don't want Siegrain." Evanee spoke. She stood out of her fighting stance, placing her right hand on her hip as the others relaxed as well. "But...he does."  
>"Who now!?" Rizu huffed in annoyance. "No amount of mages is going to help you get to Siegrain!"<br>The aces (except Sindey) stood with grins plastered on their faces. Finally, from the roof, he dropped down, leaving footprints sized craters as his body radiated of his own golden magic. Makarov Dreyar glared, right past the councilmen and wardens and directly towards Siegrain. He then pointed towards the Bluenette who has yet to move since he stepped into the hallway. "Siegrain, you've become a true enemy over this past time, and for what you've done to my children, as well as everyone else's, I won't allow it to go unpunished."  
>A golden aura began to cloak over Siegrain. He began to clench his fists even tighter as he slowly raised his head to meet Makarov's glare. "Trying to force me out of the chairman status, huh Dreyar? You'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands, for as long as I'm breathing,<p>

I'll surrender to no one!"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Hostile Takeover!

"The five steadily rising auras began to shake the entire building. Makarov walked forward with the five aces behind him, each step he took leaving a large indent in the floor. Siegrain stood ready against the Fairy Tail guild master, but even as he did, the wardens and captains still stood in the way, as if they were the last like of defense until fighting the chairman. "I understand you all are just doing your job.." Makarov comments as he continues to move forward. "But being in my way will only prove to be ill advised."  
>Makarov finally made his way to the first one in the way, Rizu. He attempted to walk past him, and as he did, the head warden raised a fist. "You think you can just walk past us!?" He yelled. He then swung his fist downward, but before the punch could connect, the blow was halted. Rizu struggled to move his arm forward, and then finally turned to see the reason. Evanee had a grip on his arm, and after a sly grin, she flung the warden against, and then through the wall to the right. That ignited the hallway brawl as Ultear quickly followed up, aiming a hard right punch for Evanee's head. The nymph was able to shield herself from the blow, sliding through the hole she created with Rizu's body along with the time ark mage. Makarov continued forward, he and Siegrain not blinking once as they stared each other down. Doranbolt, using his magic, appeared to Makarov's right, swinging a heavy right kick. The old man didn't phase as impact was heard. Tristan had appeared, blocking the kick with his forearm. The steel maker quickly grabbed Doranbolt by his ankle, and slammed him against the ground leaving Doranbolt's body in a crater. Tristan then quickly slid into his maker's stance as Bull slid in front of the ace, firing off four rings of his sound magic. Without hesitation, he made a wall of steel that blocked the incoming waves. He grinned once it dispersed, now waving to Bull and Doranbolt, who scrambled to the warden's side, daring them to charge him, which they gladly did.<br>Like a repeated pattern, the remaining four charged Makarov. Layanna and Valry both charged the elder simultaneously, this time the new comer, Roy, the Shaman's Haven Ace stepped in as Valry swung her whip. He grabbed it by the ends, and whipped the warden over into Layanna, causing the two to crash into each other. Roy then reached into his bag, and flicked his wrist as he released a cliche looking bomb that rolled in between the two. Layanna attempted to use her shield to defend, but the bomb went off too fast, blowing the other two against opposite walls. Drail swung his chains, firing both of them towards the guild master, only to have Sidney catch them both after appearing in front of him. Lahar attempted to used the distraction and run by Sidney, but the ghost mage then balanced on his left leg, planting his right one firmly into Lahar's rib cage. Lahar was sent through the wall next to him, already floating in and out of consciousness due to the strength difference between the two. Sidney then gained his balance on both legs, planting his feet firmly into the ground as pulled on Drail's chains, lifting him into the air. Sidney then yanked them downward, slamming Drail into the floor.  
>The path was now clear. Makarov and Siegrain were now feet away from each other as the elder continued to walk towards him. Siegrain opened a palm, grabbing his own wrist with his other hand. He aimed it towards Makarov, and then fired a massive heavenly blast that seemingly consumed him. Once it dispersed, Makarov appeared unharmed as he held a small golden magic circle in front of him with two mere fingers. Scoffing, Siegrain fired again, and again, and again, the same result happening as the guild master moved forward. He then created another golden magic seal, from it, three random golden beams fired from it, hurling towards Siegrain. He was quick to move, evading the first two. It was the third beam that slammed right into the bluenette's abdomen, slamming pushing him against the wall behind him at the end of the wall. Makarov began walking towards him again, closing the space between the two. Seigrain made his way out of the newly formed rubble. Once he did, he covered himself in his golden aura once more, then took off in a blur, charging right for the old man. Makarov reared back a right fist, his balled up hand growing well in size. They both swing simultaneously, causing a loud clash from the impact. Once again, Makarov came out unscathed as Siegrain slammed into the pile of rubble that was just created. His walk then continued. "Give it up, Siegrain. Retire as council chair. There's no one here to save you this time."<br>"I don't need saving." Siegrain says as he slowly makes his way up to his feet. "And like I said, you'll have to pry the title from my cold, dead, hands." He teetered around before standing back up clumsily. He then wiped the bruise from his chin as he gave a hopeless grin. "I knew I lost this fight from the beginning, but that doesn't mean you were going to leave with what you wanted, Makarov Dreyar. So go ahead, beat me to an inch of my life, you don't have the guts to kill me."  
>"Don't be so sure." His ominous words took Siegrain back a bit. "After nearly killing my brats, your life really isn't seen as important to me anymore. It takes a lot for me to feel such a way, but after allowing those who don't understand what's going on, to stone my mages... After sending them on suicidal missions that your council members were too afraid to handle.. I won't forgive you. Anyone who messes with Fairy Tail will receive punishment one hundred times over. And frankly Siegrain, I don't think your body can take that much punishment, but we're about to find out."<p>

The four of then stood off. Black and White were baring their teeth, clenching their jaws as the stood across from the cocky mannered Sting Eucliffe and the emotionless Rogue Cheney. White finally smirked himself as a magic seal appeared from under him. From that seal, what seemed like a white substance began to appear from the middle, and then finally taking over the entire room, ceiling and all. Sting looked around, an amused expression on his face as he admired the new room covering. "Heh.." He then turned his sights back to White. "Rogue, it seems that Sabertooth has really fallen off huh?"  
>Rogue nodded. "They don't even recognize the twin dragons when they see us. It's quite a shame actually."<br>"Well here, I'll remind them, of the White and Shadow Dragon Slayers, the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth!" After his proclamation, Sting reared his head back, an inhaling noise following his actions. Starting from the ceiling, the white magic began to spin in a vortex like fashion, now being sucked in by the White Dragon Slayer. "What!? What's is he doing!?" White yelled as he held his ground, the room now shaking from the incredible force that Sting's lungs portrayed. Black crouched a bit, holding his ground as well as he watched, speechless. Sting continued until the room was turned back to it's normal appearance, his stomach expanding, and then collapsing back to it's regular state. He patted his gut, and then grinned as a powerful aura skyrocketed around him.  
>"A White Dragon Slayer..." Black murmured. He then turned his eyes to Rogue. "And he's the Shadow Dragon Slayer, right?"<br>After watching such a display,  
>both Black and White came to an unspoken agreement. They then switched places, Black facing Sting and White facing Rogue. This caused the outspoken White Dragon to speak once more. "Changing opponents isn't going to help at all. This is still a two on two."<br>"Prove it then!" Black yelled. He then charged the powered up Sting Eucliffe. With his fist wrapped in shadow magic, he swung a combinations towards Sting, the dragon slayer avoiding them with relative ease. "Not so dangerous without being able to change the room huh?" Sting smirked as he ducked under the next punch. All at once, he swung an uppercut for Black's chin, a massive amount of his magic wrapped around his fist. His punched connected, causing a blinding light to appear on impact. Black flew into the ceiling, now falling helplessly as Sting cupped his hands together.  
>"Black!" White yelled as he rushed towards the two. Halfway there, he was cut off by a flying shadow. It was rogue, and before White could react, Rogue slammed a shadow covered fist into his right jaw. The punch sent White tumbling away until he quickly sprung back up to his feet. The second he did, Rogue was in front of him again. White's eyes widened from the sudden appearance, but this time he was the first to swing as he through a normal left punch. That punch phased right through Rogue's shadow mode, leaving White stunned until Rogue slammed another strike against the bridge of his nose. White rolled away again, holding his nose in pain as he grimaced towards the shadow dragon.<br>"Holy Ray!" As Black fell to the ground, Sting kept him afloat in the air by blasting the wide open lieutenant with a giant sphere that fired a seemingly endless blast of white rays. The attack landed against Black in rapid succession, not a single one seemed to miss as it pushed him all the way to the opposite wall. As the smoke cleared, nothing but rubble was seen, Black obviously under it all as Sting grinned towards the last one standing, White. "All you, Rogue."  
>White continued to attempt to land an attack on the shadowy version of Rogue, but each attack continued to<br>Phase through him. Finally, after enough toying with his opponent, Rogue appeared in front of White, back in his normal form as he puffed out his cheeks, and, without warning, slammed a point black Shadow Dragon's roar into his chest, sending him back into the same pile of rubble that Black was lying underneath. Sting and Rogue stood side by side, both satisfied at their work, until the rubble began to move. In a mixture of white and shadow magic, and explosion occurred as a bunch of rubble came hurling their way. The twin dragons shield their faces as the rubble violently fly by them. Once they were able to clearly see again, Black and White stood across from the twin dragons, both of them panting heavily as the hovered their hands over the space in front of them. Their entire body and faces were covered in bruised and crimson markings as their angered expressions told how they were feeling. Between their hands, gleams of light and shadow magic began to form, swirling together. Seconds later, a ginormous ball of the two elements was born, hovering between the two lieutenants. Sting and Rogue looked towards each other as Black and White began to chuckle sadistically. "You thought you were going to beat us easily! This will end you both!" They both yelled together as they continued to hold their ball in place. Sting held his arm out behind him, Rogue doing the same as the twins slowly created their own giant ball of White and the Shadow magic. Suddenly, that ball disappeared, and then reappeared as a smaller version of the combined elements. "Well?" Sting called as they stared down their targets. White and Black, with the utmost confidence, fired their attack, the giant orb hurling towards the twin dragons. They counter, thrusting their hands forward as their unison raid fired out as a large beam that slammed into the giant ball. The struggle caused a blinding light as well as a shake of the area. Following the blinding light, two yells were heard as the massive explosion took place. The light and smoke cleared, and Sting and Rogue were seen walking over the unconscious lieutenants and down the hallway as Sting spoke once more. "Wow, Erza and the others had problems with them? I can't wait to brag about this!"

The group that followed Natsu, Leon and Takeru continued to cause havoc to those who opposed them. Each team was a mixture of guilds, and each team was balanced out with equal strength. With the spotlight on team Natsu, Chelia started off the attack on the next wave. "Sky God's Boreas!" With the call of her attack, she threw her right hand forward, the pinkette summoning and then firing a funnel of black winds that swept through the hallway, sweeping up a plethora of guards in the way. Running in behind the black winds, was Rocker from Quatro Cerberus. With his spinning arms, he slammed punches into each soldier that stood in his way. The two mages found themselves surrounded by another swarm, until a blazing bullet slammed into each of them. From the other side of the room, Mason held his slingshot in one hand, and gave a thumbs up in the other, causing them to nod back in gratitude as they continued forward.

From his tattoos, a magic seal appeared. Dól then grabbed the well wicked hammer that formed from the seal, and charged the patiently waiting Kagura. Once he was close enough, Kagura crouched slightly, gripping her sheathed weapon as she waited for Dól to strike. He did, swinging the hammer down in a vertical manner. Kagura easily slid to her right, and then slammed her left knee into the lieutenants abdomen, causing him to hunch over from the blow. He bared his teeth in anger as he recovered from the attack, and then swung his hammer again, this time horizontally. To evade, Kagura ducked as low as possible, causing Dól's swing to slam into the wall next to them, leaving a gaping hole on the point of impact. Countering, Kagura then slammed a high kick to his chin, sending him off of his feet and onto his back. Dól sat up on his rear, snarling towards the Mermaid. "I have yet to find a reason to use my sword. Please give me one. Right now, you're no better than a lone council guard."  
>Her words struck a nerve within Dól, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. As he stood, a few magic seals appeared on his back, causing the tattoos to come to life. Dropping his hammer, he reached to his shoulders, pulling two swords from what seemed out of nowhere. "You won't a reason! Well I'll give you one, but you won't even have time to use it!"<br>Upon his words, Dól quickly kicked his hammer with force, sending the blunt object hurling towards Kagura. A bit surprised, she swayed to the left at the last second as the hammer just flew by her. It caught her attention, and as she turned around, Dól was inches away, already in mid swing with his two swords. Dól passes by Kagura...and drops face first onto the floor. Kagura on the other hand, was now in a crouching position, holding her sheathed sword. She finally stood up, and began walking forward. "At least you gave me a reason to use my weapon."

Unlike Sting, Rogue, and Kagura, it seemed that the magician has bitten off more than he could chew, as Rylo was sent sliding backwards, arms crossed in an X as he just took a head on attack from the Entertainment Trio. He remained on his feet, yet panted slightly as the three former assassins charge him once again. Vivy led the charge this time, swinging a plethora of elongated punches and kicks. Rylo went on the defensive, swaying away from each strike until he could find an opening. One didn't show in time as Wallace slid in beside the magician, placing his palms up as if they're was a wall in the way. Wallace then grinned, and kicked the now invisible wall forward, slamming it into Rylo and sandwiching him against the actual wall behind him. He grunted in pain, trying to push the unseen creation off of him. As he struggled, Sully appeared, and with his levitating orbs, he pointed his hand forward, firing off one of them that turned into a fiery ball. Rylo had just removed the wall that pinned him when the fire orb slammed into him. After the smoke cleared from the attack. Rylo was sitting down against the wall as the other three chuckled in unison. "Shame shame Rylo." Sully says as they stalk towards him. "All that talk just now, and you can't back it up."  
>As he sat there, Rylo began to chuckle as well. "I wonder if she would have these guys begging for mercy already. Come to think of it, when I left her alone with that warden, she wasn't that far behind me when she showed up on the roof. Maybe it's true..."<br>"Hm?" Sully raised a brow. "Maybe what's true?"  
>Rylo ignored his question as he slowly raised to his feet. He began dusting off the sleeves to his shirt before turning back to the three in front of him. "Don't worry about it. Lets discuss the real topic here. I'm happy that you three gave up being assassins, but that doesn't change my objective. I plan to conquer my two biggest points in my past. You three are one of them. I'll never beat my ace if I allow my demons to live!"<br>Rylo then waves both hands, telling the trio to charge him. "So lets wrap this up."  
>The three looked on with confused expressions. They then simultaneously shrugged, and Vivy led the charge again. She placed her thumb in her mouth, and blew, expanding her entire right hand into a giant balloon like fist. Vivy then swung it downward, but Rylo quickly moved out the way with a hard jump to the right. As he did, once again Wallace appeared. He was about to demonstrate another act, but Rylo beats him to it as he used his momentum to slam a hard spinning kick to Wallace's jaw. The former assassin slammed into the opposite wall. Opening his eyes, he blinked as Rylo held the opening to his top hate in his face. A magic seal appeared, and then a decent sized beam slammed into Wallace, pushing him further into the wall and unconscious as he laid there inside the newly formed hole. Rylo was quickly on the move as Sully hurled his three orbs towards him. Fire, ice, and lightning, all repeatedly aiming for the ever moving magician. Rylo continued his evasion until he finally made his way towards Vivy. He slid to a stop in front of her, his grin throwing her off guard. At the last second, Rylo slides to the side, and the ice orb slams into Vivy, causing her to freeze on the spot. "Vivy!" Sully called out to his comrade, but no response. Rylo stood next to her with a grin, and then nonchalantly pushed the frozen statue over. The impact with the ground caused the ice to break, and Vivy to lay on the floor unconscious. Now it was just him and Sully. Rylo grinned as his top hat shadowed over his eyes. He grinned for a certain reason. A reason that was unknown to everyone except him and the Trio leader. Sully took a step back...and then fell to his knees with his hands in surrender. "I-I give! You win! We'll let you threw!"<br>Rylo chuckled a bit as he stood over Sully, slowly removing his top hat. "Some things don't change Sully... You're still a coward when things get  
>rough."<br>Rylo hovered the top hat over Sully's head. From it, a magic circle appeared. Sully looked up in fear, and then tried to cover himself as a huge funnel of powerful winds slam down upon him, not letting up for an entire minute. Once Rylo finished, he placed his hat back on his head, slid his hand in his pockets, and then walked back down the hallway in which he team headed. "One down, and one to go, Kemuri."

Back on the roof, as the cat and mouse game between Makarov and Siegrain continue, the aces square up against the captains and wardens. The spotlight was first on Evanee as she continued her bout with Rizu and Ultear.  
>She kept them close, sticking to close combat for as long as she could. She threw a plethora of punches and kicks, alternating between Ultear and the head warden as they managed to dodge and parry most of them. Finally, Evanee scored a hard side kick to Ultear's ribs, lifting her off her feet and tumbling across the room. She then turned to Rizu, just evading the right hand he threw. She took that opportunity to grab the warden by his shirt, and launch him towards the ceiling. Rizu recovered, planting his feet on the roof as he conjured up a magic circle under Evanee. With a swipe of his hand, two large trees violently sprout upward, slamming into Evanee as she covered up at the last second. She too recovered, coming to a sliding stop as she kept her eyes on a descending Rizu. At this time, Ultear appeared again, sliding in right behind the ace with her hands in an ice make stance. "Ice make: Rose Garden!" She slammed her hands down, creating a rose garden made of ice that attacked Evanee violently. After taking the blunt of the attack, the nymph was able to leap away. She then ducked under Rizu's incoming high kick, gaining a better position as the two were now both in her sights simultaneously again. "Antlia." Evanee spoke silently. She then pulled her hands towards her, drawing her targets towards her with an effect similar to the pull of a black hole. Once they were in range, she fired a strong blast of pressurized wind towards them both, using their momentum to aid in damage. They both crashed into the wall once more. Evanee waited with her right hand on her hip. "Come on, get up. I know you two are no where near done."<br>On command, Ultear and the warden, Rizu, made their way to their feet, showing themselves as they wiped the debris off their persons. The two now stood side by side as they glared towards the Twilight Zone ace, Evanee returning their negative features with an excited grin as she waved them over.

Drail was basically alone against the ghost mage since Lahar was temporarily out of commission. Still, the warden charges the White Eclispe ace with his chains wrapped around his fist. With a lunge, he swung his fist downward, coming up empty as Sidney easily slid away from the strike. The punch slammed into the ground, breaking a good piece apart as Drail turned to the ghost mage, snarling. His snarling ended as Sidney slammed a hard right kick to the nose of the exposed warden, sending him tumbling away. Drail slowly rose to his feet, holding his nose. He wiped the blood from his nostrils before unraveling his chains, letting them hang to the ground. Drail then began to swing the chains, a magic seal appearing before them as he did so. From that seal, he slung the chains through, causing lightning to surge through them. Right before contact, Sidney disappeared in a puff of white smoke, reappearing in mid air, his right foot slamming right back into Drail's jaw. Drail once again went tumbling into the ground, but this time, the ruthless ghost mage appeared over Drail, once again in the same white smoke, slamming both of his feet into the back of the rolling warden's head. His face created a small crater from the impact as Sidney jumped off, nodding at his work. "...Waste."

From the group Kagura broke off from, the mages continued to wreak havoc and chaos upon the council guards. The Raijinshū began their performance, a mixture of near perfect unison raids from Bickslow, Evergreen and Freed. White Eclipse's Cygnus Gwydion, and the illusionist, Michio, began clearing paths with their fists, knocking away soldiers left and right to not be out done by the Raijinshū. Everything was going smoothly, until once they finished with their wave, the Raijinshū bowed before Laxus, and Cygnus and Michio gave their own declaration to Reve, giving him a thumbs down to signify the soldiers defeat. As they did so, both the dragon slayer and the gunslinger recognized a figure on the sealing. "Huh?" The gunslinger focused in on the person who was perched on the ceiling, noting that the person in question wore a mask, black, and a black suit, almost ninja like. "Did they hire another?" Reve asked as the group focused on that being. In the next second, the figure pulled a long sword from their back. The sword was all too familiar, yet hard to believe that someone was in possession of it. Everyone in this group was familiar with the sword in the person's hands. Reve began to seethe once he came back from the shock value as the figure continued to keep their distance.  
>"Claymore..." The ninja like figure whispered, causing Reve to seethe even more. "He didn't...Siegrain didn't use the lacrima. He didn't give it to someone...that's Skye's magic..." He then yelled as he requipped two assault rifle styled guns in his hands. "That's Skye's magic!"<br>Reve fired away, the person in question using their speed to easily maneuver away from the incoming barrage of bullets, all while charging towards the targets. With the Claymore sword, the unknown clashes with Laxus's lightning infused punch, then spun away from his next fist. That same figure then lands a solid kick the lightning dragon slayer's back, causing him to topple over.  
>"Who are you!?" Cygnus yelled, infuriated. "Why do you have our guild mate's magic!?"<br>No answer from the figure, instead a duck from Cygnus incoming gravity magic infused punch, followed by a strike to the temple from the hilt of the Claymore sword. The new blade requip mage quickly made way back to the ceiling, holding position as the others continued to look on in shock. Everyone except...Kairi, as she walked into view, her fists clenched as a magic seal appeared under her. "You're in possession of something that doesn't belong to you. That's my 'little sister's' magic, and you didn't ask her for permission to use it." With teeth bared, Kairi angrily transformed into her Angel Soul takeover. "How dare you use it. I'm going to make you drop that sword."

Siegrain continued to back away from Makarov, looking to gain a higher ground, or at least some time to think of a technique to beat the guild master. He was coming up empty on both options as he steadily strayed away from the elder. He finally backed his way towards the stairs that led downwards. He actually contemplated it; running away to fight another day, and more importantly, continue to be the official chairman of the council, but those thoughts were cut off as he felt the stairwell shake, and heard the familiar, obnoxious voice that's plagued every antagonist so far. Natsu, along with Leon and the others who weren't stopped by the lieutenants, were on their way up the stairs. Siegrain knew he was trapped, but at the same time, it wasn't a big concern. The bluenette already had his heart set on remaining fortified when it came to keeping his position. In his mind, he was ready to take any physical punishment from the mages, and still have the iron will to not surrender. "I somewhat suspected this, Dreyar. Having the mages cut off an escape, thinking that you're gonna scare me into submission. Well you're sadly mistaken!" As he yelled, Siegrain slid into a position, his left hand pointing to the ground, two fingers. His right then pointing to the roof, two fingers as well. As he held this stance, the building began to shake violently. "I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of you mages, and here's my trump card. Sema!"  
>Makarov stood watching as the room became darker from the ominous clouds now forming outside the building. Then, the Fairy Tail elder brought his hands close together, not yet touching as a golden light began to form. The light illuminated the room once again, canceling out the darkness that Siegrain created. "So be it, Siegrain. If you wish to suffer the consequences in a physical manner, then I will oblige in dealing such punishment. But this is your last chance.<p>

You have till the count of three to surrender!"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Siegrain's Declaration. Countdown to Fairy Law!

"Ugh! Bored! I'm so bored! I'm so bored! I'm so bored!"  
>Kiora continues to repeat herself as she sat at the round table with her fellow Tartaros females, Maggie, Ruika, and Sora. They were spread out amongst the table in equal distance, still completing the circle with the four of them. "You think there would be something to do in this palace." Maggie chimes in as Kiora continues to repeat herself annoyingly. "We've searched every nook and cranny in this place. It really is business before pleasure here eh?"<br>Sora glared towards Kiora, who continued on, now rocking back and forth in her chair, creating a repetitive noise that added on to her echoing sentence. Finally having enough, Sora got up from her chair and walked off. "There's gotta be something to do in this place?" Ruika asked aloud. "Maybe we can kill one of the staff members?" Maggie shrugged, running her hand through her hair in a sign of frustration from the boredom. "As long as it's not one of the chefs, mate. They really know how to serve a dish and I want to keep that."  
>"So the guardsmen then? That'll kill like two minutes."<br>Maggie looked over towards Ruika, shrugging again. They both then turned to Kiora, who was still to this moment, continuously reciting the words "I'm so bored" within the room. They watched her for what seemed like forever, a vein growing and pulsing on both of their foreheads. Finally, they both cracked simultaneously. "Kiora! Shut up!" The two roared in the utmost frustration to their comrade. Kiora stopped, blinking at the two women in front of her. She then slowly opened her mouth to indicate that she was about to begin again. "Don't you do it..." Ruika states as she slowly stands from her seat, in a pre-pounce position. Kiora opens her mouth a bit wider. "Mate, I swear. Don't start again?" This time it was Maggie removing herself from her seat, nearly mimicking Ruika's stance. Kiora eyed them both carefully, and then... "I'm so bored! I'm so bored! I'm-"  
>Tackled to the ground, Kiora was on her stomach with Maggie and Ruika on top of her. She struggled around, but to no avail as Maggie held her right hand over her mouth. Ruika sat on her backside, manicuring her nails. "If we let you up, will you stop?"<br>Kiora nodded to Ruika's demand, but before she and Maggie could move..  
>"Hey guys! Come here!"<br>Maggie and Ruika jump off of Kiora as Sora appears back in the room. She then points to the way she came. "I found something!"

.

Tristan Gareth of Black Phoenix stood off against Doranbolt and Bull. He quickly slid into his maker's stance as Doranbolt phased out of sight. Though he lost sight of him, the ace knew exactly where Doranbolt was going to appear. He turned to his right as everything slowed down for him. "Steel Make: Gauntlets!" His arms began to glow, two steel property glove like accessories formed on his arms as he raised them to block Doranbolt's incoming kick. He winced in pain from the recoil the steel caused, leaving the councilman open as Tristan then slammed a heavy uppercut to Doranbolt's stomach. He quickly hunched over, jaw dropped as he fell to his knees. It seemed that Tristan didn't hold back an ounce from that single punch. As Doranbolt became out of commission, Bull slid in, jaw popped open as he fired another heavy set of sound waves from his throat. Tristan braced himself, covering his ears as the waves lifted him off his feet. Flipping once, the ace found himself planting his feet on the wall as the waves ended, and with a crouch, he quickly lunged towards Bull, slamming another heavy blow into the wardens abdomen as well. Unlike Doranbolt, Bull didn't go down as easily, which necessarily wasn't a good thing for him. He was on his knees, holding back the potential vomit as Tristan towered over him. "I'm not usually one for unnecessary violence, but I have to knock you out now."  
>Bull quickly grabbed Tristan by his shirt, and fired another seemingly endless round of sound magic at a point blank range towards the steel maker. It landed, but once the smoke from the explosive sound waves cleared, Tristan stood, unaffected emotionally as he dusted himself off. Bull's eyes widened. "...We never stood a chance..!" His final words, as Tristan slammed his right steel covered fist directly into the warden's jaw, incapacitating him immediately. Tristan looked around while flexing his wrist, a small grin appeared on the noble mage's face, actually showing a hint of pride as the others continued their battles. "I'm never one to brag...but you guys are taking an awfully long time to finish your opponents."<p>

Layanna and Valry were in pursuit of the ever elusive Roy of Shaman's Haven. The endless swing of Layanna's sword and Valry's whip seemed to be no match for Roy's speed. He continued to duck and move, evading each strike until he found himself back against a wall. With a smirk, Valry swung first, lashing her whip towards the masked mage. Roy returned the grin with his own, and then quickly leaned to the right, causing her to miss as the whip slammed against the wall. Roy then, in one motion, spun around while reaching into his bag, now pulling out another cliche looking bomb that became lit automatically. He then tossed it in between the two, causing the girls to separate as the bomb went off. Roy gave chase to Valry, too close for her to use her whip as Roy slams a kick into the warden's side. As Valry went tumbling away, Roy slid to the right, causing Layanna to just miss an incoming stab to the mage's back. In his hand, another bomb appeared, and the masked man nonchalantly dropped it, right into Layanna's. Before she could throw it away, the bomb detonated, creating a well sized cloud of smoke as Roy watched with an amused smile under his mask. He then stood with both arms crossed over one another as the two targets struggle up to their feet desperately. "Ladies.. Are we going to continue?"

"As if there's any time to." Roy turned his attention to the reason the entire building was in tremors. Makarov and Siegrain were still in their standoff, waiting for each other I make a move. Or at least, Siegrain was waiting.  
>"I don't know if Sema will be enough... This is Fairy Law we're talking about, and from Makarov no less. But.. I refuse to give up my position! As long as my captains and wardens don't abandon me, I'll be okay... I'll be able to take the punishment from the old fool. It's the youth that annoys me."<br>Siegrain finally came out of his own thoughts, and the second the did, he heard Makarov speak one of the words, or numbers, he didn't want to hear. His time of stalling was wearing down.  
>"One...!"<p>

.

"Sora! How did you find this place!?" Kiora asked her as the four found themselves in a cavern under the palace. She gave an exaggerated shrug as she continued to skip along. "I was going to mess up your room because you were being annoying, but I found a switch instead and, here we are!"  
>"Touch my room again and I'll slice your head open." Kiora responded, no longer concerned about the story of how Sora found the underground cavern.<br>"Shut up." Sora snapped back, her tone gave off a real smug, condescending one; enough for Kiora to retaliate once again. "What you say you little snot nosed shit!?"  
>"You heard me you hag! What are you gonna do!?"<br>Kiora immediately formed her shadowed scythe within her hands. "Then I'll cut your throat open!"  
>Sora didn't back down, now standing across from Kiora as her shadow begins to circle around her slowly.<br>"Will you two knock it off? Man Kiora, she's just a kid, try to act older than her." Ruika walked by the two in confrontation with her arms folded in disappointment. Kiora and Sora then simultaneously turn to the walking Ruika. "Shut up Ru!" They both yelled, pulling down an eyelid and sticking out their tongues. Maggie shook her head as she too continued walking foward, Kiora and Sora behind them with their arms crossed and facing away from each other with an immature "Hmph!"  
>"Man, how deep is this place?" Maggie wondered as the four walked on. "Beats me, but it seems endless." Ruika commented. Kiora allowed her eyes to wander the ceiling, then back to the endless space in front of them. "I wonder if anyone's still down here."<br>"I think a few...bodies exist here." Ruika stopped in her tracks as she spoke, her foot now in the rib cage of a skeleton. Next to that was a Sorcière Weekly magazine. "Hey look, a magazine." The Hells Sorcerer picked up the Weekly, and flipped through it. "Wow this is old. Really old actually."  
>Maggie shrugged. "I'm sure it is, I mean, look at the skeleton. Just from the fact there's nothing but bones lets you know it's been here for a while. I didn't know the palace had such a mean streak."<br>"Criminals are criminals I guess." Ruika replied as she tossed the magazine over her shoulder. She then continued walking on, ahead of the pack as the other three continued to look around where they stood. "Seriously though, we should turn back soon before we get lost." Kiora stated. With her arms folded, she looked around, now gaining a suspicious feeling that she kept to herself momentarily. Ruika then turned back to the group. "Oh don't be a coward. We got nothing else to do. We gave the demons the day off, the boys and Tobias are out, lets explore!"  
>On that comment, from out if nowhere, a giant plant emerged from the ground, directly under Ruika and covered her completely. "Huh?" The other three blinked, looking on curiously as Ruika was now swallows by a giant Venus Fly Trap. "There's plant life down here?" Maggie pondered. As she did, a stint of laughter caught the group's ears. The three females turn to an elevated area, where five people were standing. Maggie arched a brow as they stood there. "And who the hell is this lot?"<br>The iron masked male stepped forward. "We are-"  
>"Wait!" Kiora yelled as she pointed. "I know who they are. They're the Good Knights!"<br>"It's Garou Knights." Kama, the iron masked one says, correcting Kiora's wrong. "Right, them. They're supposed to be Fiore's strongest executioners or something."  
>"Oh really?" Maggie grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Well then, it looks like we've found some entertainment for a while ladies."<br>Maggie then turned back to the plant, which was seemingly digesting Ruika. "Hey! Does it feel good in there or something? How long you gonna sit in there love, we got company!"  
>Cosmos, the plant mage, then made herself known with her voice. "What a beautiful call to your friend, but she won't be leaving there anytime soon. You see, my beautiful-"<br>Before Cosmos could finish, a torrent of fire bursted from the plant, frying it into nothing but crisps as Ruika and one of her celestial spirits, Drago, stood side by side and unharmed by the plant's effects. As Cosmos looked on in disbelief, Ruika closed Drago's gate, sending him back. Ruika held an unamused expression as the other three grinned towards the five knights. "Lets be real here." Ruika says, wiping the "saliva" from the plant off of her arms and shoulders. "There's five of you, and three of us, but, one of us is more than a match for all five of you."  
>"You really think so? That makes me angry-tai."<br>Ruika ignored Uosoka's statement as she then turns to her comrades. "So whose gonna go? You guys know it would be a waste if we all fought?"  
>"Or..." Kiora says, raising a finger. "We can just take it easy on them, and still all fight. It would seem like a good time, right?"<br>"I like Kiora's idea!" Sora exclaimed.  
>"So it's settled then."<br>"Oi! You four have a lot of nerve to say such things to the Garou knights!" Says Neppa, the heavier set male with the alcohol bottle hanging from his mouth. "Hey." Kiora interjected. "Where did you get that? I'm dying of thirst."  
>Neppa raised a brow, actually growing a bit agitated by the Tartaros figures before them since they weren't being taken seriously. "I don't even want to fight them anymore."<br>Kama looked towards Uosoka. "Just melt their bones away."  
>"Alright-tai." Uosoka pointed towards the four. "Terrain effect: Lava Zone!"<br>From under their feet, the ground begins to break apart as lava begins to rise from no where. Kiora, Ruika and Sora safely make it to a surface, floating rocks of what was left of the ground they once stood on. Maggie however, fell into the lava.  
>"That's one down." Kama says as he watched on. "It's only a matter of time until the rest of you fall in."<br>Just then, Kiora and Sora begin chuckling. Ruika covered her mouth as she too let out a slight giggle. "You don't know us huh?" Kiora asked the knights rhetorically. "Maggie dear."  
>Like a command, Maggie's figure rises from the sea of lava. The excess lava dripped off of her as she now stood upon a fountain of the molten substance, grinning towards Uosoka. The knights were in disbelief. "What!? There's no way!?"<br>"It's very rude of us..." Ruika begins. "...for us not to introduce ourselves. I'm the Hells Sorceress, Ruika. This here is the Shadow Puppeteer, Sora. On my other side is the Fatal Embodiment, Kiora. And that, sitting on your precious lava, is the Lethal Eruption, Maggie. We're the women of Tartaros."  
>"Tartaros!?" Kama took a step back. Neppa was still wide eyed at the name, as well as Kamika and Cosmos. "How did Tartaros end up here!?"<br>"We took over the palace!" Sora exclaimed. "I found this place so went exploring!"  
>"But enough of that. You blokes are going to keep us entertained for a bit, okay?" Maggie grinned as she held out an open palm. From it, she fired off a quick funnel of magma that hurled towards the knights. They all quickly separate to avoid the incoming lava. It was now fair play when it came to the terrain, as the knights had no choice but to land in the lava area to avoid Maggie's attack. "Hey, Uosoka! Turn the lava off!" Neppa yelled.<br>"Oh no you don't!" Kiora appeared next to Uosoka before he could move, slamming her hands into her Shadow make stance. Without warning, a plethora of shadow lances slam into the executioner pushing him off the floating rock and onto another. Uosoka barely caught himself, pulling himself up from the potential touch of the molten liquid. As he pulled himself up, he was then about to use this time to shut off his magic, but as he raised his arms, something from behind grabbed him. It was his own shadow. "Huh? What's going on-tai?" The executioner struggled, unable to move due to the stalemate between him and his shadow, his shadow having the exact same physically statistics as his actual self.  
>"Now with the terrain guy out the way." Kiora turns back around, only to find Neppa crashing down in front of her with his fist slamming into the ground. As it did, a trail of acid rushed towards, and then "splashed" on top of the Fatal Embodiment. She blinked, slowly smiling happily as she remembered the feeling so well. "It's been so long...since I had an acid bath! T-thank you!"<br>Neppa was utterly freaked out. "Who...who are these people!"  
>While Kiora was in her own world, squirming around with herself with the acid covering her, Ruika lifts a key. "Orion, come forth."<br>Out of his gate, Orion appears, carrying Ruika in his arms. "Yes, princess!"  
>"First off..." In a flash, Orion now had a knot on the back of his head as tears comically dangled from his eyes. Ruika then pointed to Neppa. "Take him out."<br>On command, Orion charged Neppa. Neppa swung his acid fist again, but this time Orion held out his shield, and once his fist connected, the acid became null. Orion then followed with a heavy vertical swing of the sword that Neppa barely avoided by jumping backwards. He landed, and as soon as he did, the acid user's shadow appeared beside him. He turned right into an acid infused fist into the sternum, Neppa now on the ground, screaming in pain as his own magic began to eat away at his skin and muscle.  
>"Paper Blizzard: Red Dance." She released the single slip of red paper from between her two fingers. Kamika then blew, causing the slip of paper to multiply and violently dance towards Maggie. The Lethal Eruption merely grinned as the paper hurled towards her, now spinning around her as flames were created. "Cute, fire." Maggie simply lifts her left hand, another fountain of lava appearing as she ignored the fire that had no effect on her. She then pointed forward, causing the fountain to hurl towards Kamika. It was cut off, as a giant plant was summoned from the ground by Cosmos, blocking the route of the magma. The plant gave off a screeching sound as he quickly melted into nothing from Maggie's attack. "You're not beautiful at all!"<br>"I don't know." Maggie retorted. "Ive been told that I'm bang on. You're the bird hiding under the hat, love."  
>"Silence!" Cosmos yelled. From behind her, a giant plant was born, and the vines from the plant reached for Maggie, wrapping themselves around her arms and legs. That didn't last long as Maggie easily melted them away by turning her limbs to magma. "You're outmatched you ninnies. But there's no need for surrender. We don't take prisoners here in Tartaros."<br>Kama finally decided it was time to make a move, noticing his team being dominated by the Tartaros mages. Kiora turned to see the leader of the executioners reach behind his head and grab his two scythes. That was all Kiora needed to see to become interested. Once again, she created her own shadow scythe within her hands, and then leaped towards Kama, now standing in front of him with a smirk. "On guard masked guy!" Kama scoffed towards Kiora's smirk, and swung his first scythe, Kiora easily parrying it. She continued to parry his incoming swing on both scythes, keeping an amused expression on her face. Kama on the other hand, was giving it his all; continuously swinging for the neck of the Fatal Embodiment. The supposed stalemate went on for a few minutes. "Heh, you're an executioner? You're boring me with this, so let me show you how to wield a scythe!" After her exclamation, Kiora went into another zone for a few seconds, her eyes widening in excitement as she went on the offensive. She beat Kama to the first swing, throwing a horizontal slash, her first, at Kama'a neck. The lead executioner ducked it, but as he did, he could feel the shadow magic behind it leaving the scythe, slicing the random rocky structure behind him in half. "Wh...what kind of scythe!?" Kama was in awe long enough for Kiora to sweep his legs from under him. She then slammed a stomp into the male's chest as he hit the ground. Kama swung one of his scythes from the ground, allowing him to struggle free as Kiora had to duck the incoming attack. Still, with a wicked grin on her face, she stayed in pursuit, chasing the scrambling executioner. Kiora leaped, and swung her scythe downward towards Kama. He raised both his scythes to block, and it was successful. However, as he blocked the incoming strike, the excess shadows slam into Kama, slicing off his iron mask, his face now completely exposed as he fell to his back. Kama raised his head, only to find Kiora scythe threatening to behead him. "...Hi." The smirk from the Fatal Embodiment was insult to injury as she slowly pressed the scythe to his neck, Kama laying there, waiting for his consequences for losing.  
>"If I can't out heat you. Then I'll just freeze you." Kamika held a white slip of paper in the same fashion she did the red, repeating the process as she blew on the small slip, watching it multiply and hurl towards Maggie as it takes the form of a blizzard. "Paper Blizzard: White Dance!"<br>The white slips of paper violently dance around Maggie, eventually freezing her in place. Kamika gives a smile, feeling successful as she stared at the frozen body of Maggie Solfatara. Seconds later, that smile was wiped away as the ice began to quickly melt, finally breaking into tiny pieces as Maggie simply stares back at the paper user with a grin. "My, what a droll match up. I should of fought the acid user. This is a boring show right? But at the same time,  
>I feel like...we could use you lot for something."<br>Kamika and Cosmos blink once, still fearing the being in front of them after coming to the realization that Tartaros was too strong for them, and that they were being toyed with. Maggie then turned to Kiora. "Hold on Kiora love! I have a suggestion."  
>"What's that?" Kiora asked, still holding her scythe against Kama's throat. Maggie then turned back to Cosmos and Kamika as everyone else listened. "Alright mates, listen up. We are gonna be in this palace for a while with nothing to do. A year really. So here's what's going to happen. We're going to spare ya live yeah? But when we're bored, which will be often, we're going to come down here for fun. By fun of course I mean beating you lot to a messy pulp until we get our fill. We'll continue this cycle until the year is up, and then we'll finally kill you all. So, you all of a year to try your best to slay us. Come up with the best strategies that you can and all that, and hopefully you'll succeed. I would take this seriously if I were you knights, even though we aren't. You're no where near our level in any category, but aye, miracles happen am I right?"<br>"So you're telling me..." Kama slowly lifts his head, just before the relaxed scythe to get a glimpse of Maggie as he spoke. "You're turning us into game?"  
>"Isn't wise to make such a contradictory statement mate. It's basically what you do right? Play with your targets until you complete your task? Well turnabouts fair play yeah?"<br>"I like it!" Sora yells, hopping up and down. "Sure, why not?" Ruika added with a shrug. Kiora then removed the scythe from Kama's throat, putting it away as it dispersed back into nothing. Maggie stretched out a finger, and began to rotate it, causing the magma to swirl back into the ground, as if she controlled it the whole time. Sora released Uosoka from his own shadow's grip. As he was released, he grabbed his right shoulder, feeling a surging pain within it. "...It's broken-tai." By this time, as Ruika sends Orion back into his gate, the four of them begin walking back towards the way they came. Kiora and Maggie gave a slight wave while Sora waved frantically. "Bye! See you next time!" The shadow puppeteer yelled as she finally turned around to run and catch up with her "sisters."

.

Kairi was in pursuit of the evading figure, her light infused fists slamming everywhere except where she wanted, against the person in question. This new council figure was quite elusive, but Kairi was determined to make whoever the being was drop the sword. The masked figure had other plans. "Silent Edge." The figure whispered, and the patented sword turned into the bladed ring that Skye once held when she was alive. Leaping away from Kairi, the masked person flung the bladed ring. Kairi merely swayed to the right, to avoid the incoming projectile. She then swayed again, dodging the return of Biofrost. "You can't even wield it right. I'm even more upset." Kairi cupped her hands together, and fired a beam of light out from a magic seal. Everyone scattered at the figure leaped over the hurling beam. Kairi chased once more, again, hitting every surface with her strikes except her target. Finally growing tired of the continuous motions, Kairi came to a sliding stop, slightly panting. The figure did the same, except without the loss of breath.  
>"...Whoever that is may not be skilled with Skye's magic yet, but their stamina is unbelievable." Reve pointed out.<br>"Are we really just going to let them two go at it? We could of ended this a long time ago, together." Laxus stated. Reve folded his arms. "Trust me, I want to tear this person limb from limb right now for using Skye's magic, but, Kairi has that look. She's made this her personal vendetta. So getting in her way probably isn't a good idea."

"You think your countdown threats scare me, old man!? I'm the council chairman! I'm the hero of Fiore! I run this country! No one is going to stop me! This is me! It's all about me! I'm Siegrain!"  
>"Two!" Makarov yelled in the middle of Siegrian's rant, the Fairy Law growing stronger with each passing second, as well as Sema.<br>"You bow down to me! You follow my laws! Your chances are running low Makarov! Drop the Fairy Law, or feel the wrath of the Sema! I won't ever be defeated! Too many support me!"  
>Siegrain's words rang through ears. Not through the aces, or even Makarov himself. His words rung through his most loyal men, Lahar and Dorarnbolt. Lahar was laying face down after the quick beating he took. The council chairman's words caused the captain to slowly flutter his eyes open, his blurry vision caused by the lost of his glasses. He slowly clenched a fist as he moved at a snail's pace just to make it to his knees.<br>"He's right..."  
>Doranbolt was coming to as well from Soegrain's words, holding himself up against the wall as he heavily panted. Lahar's assistant struggled to hold his balance as he was just able to breathe out the rest of Lahar's sentence, knowing that they both began to think the same thing.<br>"It's about him...

It's always...been about him."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Letter of Resignation?

With the continuos rumbling within the council walls, the mages continue to do what they do best; cause havoc. Attacks and magic techniques fire each and every way as the mages continue their one sided onslaught against the council soldiers.  
>"Ice make:..." The four mages, Fairy Tail's Gray Fullbuster, Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia, White Eclipse's Luke Cloud, and Aurora Pistola's Yuki all stand in their ice make stance. Simultaneously, the four mages then fire off their own techniques. "Hammer!"<br>"Eagle!"  
>"Lances!"<br>"Cannon!"  
>The four ice make techniques crash into the crowd of soldiers blocking the way. As Luke and Yuki smile, Yuki's expression slowly fades as she noticed Lyon and Gray lowly glaring her way. "..." She gulped, but kept moving along with the four, sighing as she followed behind.<p>

"Stand still!" Kairi yelled as she missed her target once more, creating a well sized crater on the ground where the figure once stood. Landing from the evading jump, the new blade requip mage whispered once more in a raspy voice. "Silent edge."  
>The Biofrost that was once in the figure's hands, turns into two small knives, placed into two holsters. Kairi stayed in pursuit, this time, the council member not running. With her right fist reared back, she swung a right, light infused fist forward. The council member waited, and waited. Then, at the last second, Kairi's attacked was now off target. The figure moved their head out of the way at the last possible second. The member then, quickly in one motion, grabbed one of the knives, flipping it in their left hand. Reve's eyes widened. "Kairi!"<br>Of course, it was too late for the angel takeover to fully dodge. She did manage, however, to avoid fatal injury as she turned her body to the side as the council member threw a stabbing strike towards her, just piercing into her side. Kairi immediately grabbed her side, but the anger within her wasn't going to let the pain get to her as she quickly slammed an open palm to the target's chest, firing a point blank light beam right after. The council member slammed into the opposing wall, a stack of debris falling on top as smoke filled the immediate area. Kairi then dropped to a knee, holding her side as the crimson liquid attempted to slide out of her wound. Reve ran over, bending down to check on her. "Hey...! Are you okay? Is it deep?" The gunslinger asked her, trying to see the injury in question. Kairi waved Reve off, smacking his hand away as she walked towards the rubble. As the smoke cleared, Kairi bared her teeth as she noticed the blade requip mage was now gone, nowhere to be seen. She punched the wall next to her, nearly crumbling it as she continued to add pressure to her wound. Everyone else stood around, watching awkwardly and quietly as Kairi turned back, and continued walking on with her angered expression. "Lets go." She spoke in a stern voice. "The sooner we make Siegrain retire, the quicker I can get an answer to where to find that bastard."

It seemed Kairi's wish was about to come true.

"It's always been about him. How could I have been so blind?" Lahar was coming to a realization, as well as Doranbolt. The captain slowly, very slowly made his way to his feet, his now untied hair covering his eyes as he tried to push up off the ground. "This was never about justice. It was never about keeping the mages in check...not for the sake of Fiore, but for the sake...the safety of Siegrain..."  
>Makarov's attention was caught. He could hear Lahar, and now Doranbolt speak.<br>"I guess some people...can't change. When he was freed from Jellal, we bought into his lies. His lies saying that he's changed, and that what he's doing was for the country."  
>Doranbolt's words were louder than Lahar's, and they caught Siegrian's attention. The Bluenette raised a brow, unsure at first. Then he began to understand Doranbolt's words, causing him to listen in a bit of shock. The shock came from the potential "betrayal" that seemed to be coming from the two. The captains stopped as well, causing the aces to ease out of their fighting demeanors. "You lied to all of us! You've done nothing for us!" Doranbolt yelled. Lahar finally staggered to his feet, holding on to the wall with his right hand. "You even made us lie for you, saying...saying that you saved Fiore when in fact, it was the mages. We should of pulled the plug then...but you convinced us. You made us believe that things were better this way. We allowed you to set ridiculous bounties on White Eclipse and Fairy Tail. We allowed you to kill an innocent mage, even though we knew the lacrima extraction chair wasn't ready. You've risked our/ lives, countless of times with no remorse, for such pointless reasons. All so you could stay on top. Just so you could keep this country within your hands! You even convinced the king himself. How many more people will you manipulate, Siegrain...?"  
>Siegrain blinked, unsure of what to say. "Lahar...Doranbolt..." Still holding the stance to his attack, the solemn expression on the council chair's face...turned right back into the insane Siegrain from the Tower of Heaven. "Of course it's been about me! It's not my fault you're both blind! I'm the council chairman, who else would I look after!? Grand Doma's teachings have you all delusional, because this is how it's supposed to be! You're supposed to follow my laws!"<br>"No more then...I rather stay unemployed then to ever work for you again." Doranbolt tried to take a step forward, his lack of equilibrium not letting him as he braced the wall once more. "I...I rather rot in the stronghold prison."  
>"Fine fhen!" Siegrain yelled. He then turned to his other captain. "Odin! Ultear! Take the traitors down!"<br>No one moved. Ultear slowly folded her arms as she averted her eyes to the ground. "They're right. I've always supported you, because you gave me my youth back. But...you've gone off the deep end, Siegrain."  
>"You too Ultear!? Odin!?"<br>"It's over... I've tried to support this as long as I could, but...you've lost your mind. A long time ago actually." Odin stared directly towards Siegrain, then finally turned back to his comrades as Layanna drops her sword and shield, now standing next to Odin in surrender to the aces.  
>"Layanna!? None of you will get away with this! Correll wouldn't of done this to me!" Siegrian then turned to his last resort, the wardens. "Rizu, Bull, Drail, Valry!"<br>Just like the others, the wardens ignored Siegrian's call. "Sorry, but everyone's right." Rizu says.  
>"Shut up! You think I care you're all betraying me!? I can replace all of you! I'll start, by blowing you all away! Sema!"<br>The anger got the best of him. Siegrain was ready to fire, now targeting the entire room as the building violently shook. Makarov turned his attention back to the chairman. "...Three."  
>The glowing orb of Sema started from Siegrain, and quickly expanded out into a dangerous dome of heavenly body magic. At the same time, Makarov Dreyar clapped his hands together with his eyes closed. He then opened them, causing the giant magic seal to expand over the tower, followed by a giant explosion coming from the Fairy Tail guild master. the two colossal attacks collided, now in a struggle that seemed to be a stalemate. "All this power Siegrain, and you couldn't do a positive thing with it."<br>"Don't lecture me! This isn't over!" He yelled back, pouring every ounce of magic power he had left from his body and into Sema. The mages and councilmen alike all brace themselves as the explosive power between the two began pushing them away. "Is it a draw!?" Odin asked as he held on to the wall.  
>"Not even close." Sidney stated to himself.<br>"It's a shame your reign has to end this way, Siegrain. You had a lot of potential to help the world, like your counterpart, Jellal." Makarov stared towards the chairman for a few more seconds. "But...this is for my brats! For what you've out them through!" After letting out a war cry, the Fairy Law expanded even greater. Sema was quickly overpowered and pushed back. "We're here!" Natsu yelled as he made his way to the top floor. As he reached the too, Leon and Takeru quickly grabbed the Salamander and pulled him out of the line of fire.  
>"No! No!" Siegrain didn't brace himself, still trying to push Sema outward. It was no use...<p>

A massive explosion occurred on the top floor right after a blinding light. The entire roof was blown off of the headquarters. Cracks began to show all the way down the building as well, deeming the place unstable as everyone quickly made their way out. The lone figure seen falling to the ground, was Seigrain himself. He teetered in and out of consciousness, falling from the top floor as he headed towards the ground. With blurry eyes, and an inability to move any limbs, he softly smiled to himself.  
>"...I...retire..." His last words before he closed his eyes again.<p>

A splash of water slapped him in the face, causing him to cough profusely as he awoke from his unconscious state. Standing around him, the mages, and councilmen, and now, the former chairman himself. "D...Doma...you bastard." Siegrain grinned to himself as he laid there, no one sure if he was unable or unwilling to stand.  
>"It's over Siegrain." Gran Doma says as the entire lot watches on.<br>"I know...it's over for everyone. Heh... I may resign as council chairman, but I'm the least of your problems."  
>"We're well aware of Tartaros, and we will deal with then accordingly, but right now, you're first. I, along with then original council circle, have taken back over. With your resignation, we've decided to make yours unretractable. Also, for your crimes, the lies you've plagued upon this country, and for the murder of one Skye Ravenwood of White Eclipse, we've placed you under arrest in the name of the council."<br>Siegrain was forced to his feet by two random council guards as they cuffed the bluenette with magic sealers. "Funny...I never saw this coming to be honest. You win, Doma."  
>"There's no victory here Siegrain. Only your defeat. Take him away."<br>Siegrain began walking off, escorted by the two randoms until Kairi called out to him. "Wait!" She yelled as she made her way to the front of the crowd. She then grabbed Siegrain by the collar of his torn shirt.  
>"Kairi, what are you doing!?" Evanee asked her. The angel takeover mage ignored her. "That person...who is the person you gave Skye's magic to!?"<br>Siegrain waited, and then grinned as Kairi was being pulled off of him by a few more guards. He elected to not answer as he was now free from her grip, continuing his escorted walk towards the carriage that would soon take him to prison. "Answer me! At least where can I find the bastard! Siegrain!"  
>He turned to Kairi's demanding, yet somewhat hurt voice, noticing Reve now standing beside her. "I'm sure she'll come to you."<br>He smirked once more, before finally stepping into the carraige, it taking off away from everyone as it headed for it's destination.  
>"It was a she...?" Kairi clenched her fist, finally calming down as Reve patted her shoulder. "We'll find her...and she'll pay."<br>"If I see her, I'll fire her on the spot and apprehend her." Gran Doma added. "Speaking of all this." The council elder turned to the captains, Lahar, and Doranbolt, both who were still emotionally wrecked from their realizations; Odin Ultear and Layanna. Next to them, were the wardens. "You nine. You've given your lives to this magic council. Siegrain has done one thing right, wardens, and that was creating the council stronghold to hold our most villainous criminals. So, I want you four to continue working as wardens. Continue putting in the hard work you do to make this country safe. Is that fine?"  
>Speechless at first from the praise, the four of then bow as they simultaneously speak aloud. "Thank you, Gran Doma!"<br>The elder then turned to the captains and company. "Odin. You're a wonderful captain. I can't question your loyalty, or strength. So, I want to promote you from second, to first captain. Do you accept?"  
>Odin was lost for words, shaking slightly in a quiet happiness until he finally bowed. "Yes! Thank you Gran Doma."<br>Doma smiled and nodded, then turned to Layanna. "Layanna, your skills are beyond marvelous, and for you to be anything less than a captain is abysmal. So, I want to promote you as well, to second captain of the magic council."  
>With gratefulness etched on her features, Layanna slowly bowed. "Thank you, Gran Doma. I won't let you down."<br>"Second captain.." Lahar blinked once, whatever he was thinking quickly cleared as he, Doranbolt, and Ultear were now directly in front of the council chairman. He looked all three of them over. "You three, have been here the longest. Your loyalty to this organization, your belief in the laws, they've stood out over everyone as the years have passed. Ultear, though you've faltered before, due to your own personal vendetta, it was because you wanted to find Zeref that you did such things. That, I excuse, since he's not a threat in this era. You three magic council veterans deserve the highest praise here. And with that, I'm firing all three of you."  
>"What!?"<br>"What!?" The echoes and murmurs of disbelief continued within the crowd of mages. "G-Gran Doma...why?"  
>The council chairman smiled. "You know why Lahar. There's only so much a human can take, and you three have been pushed past your limits already. You followed Siegrain, waited on him hand and foot, only to find the truth so suddenly. You three are so torn, and everyone can see it, that keeping you here would be unfair to your well being. We'll easily accommodate your financial standards once we save this country, no, this world from Tartaros. And besides..." He turned to Ultear, the time ark mage perking up as he looked her way. "Ultear, don't you have a few people you have to find? I'm sure they are worried about their guild mate, if you call it that."<br>Tears began to surface from her pupils. Ultear quickly bowed her head. "Y-yes sir. It's been a pleasure... Thank you Gran Doma."  
>He then turned back to Lahar and Doranbolt. "Lahar, Doranbolt. This includes you too. You've given everything you've got here. I couldn't ask for anymore. Thank you for your hard work. But now, it's time for you two to retire as councilmen, and finish living your lives."<br>A minute passed, and like Ultear, tears began to stream from their faces. Lahar fell to his hands and knees as he sobbed. The pressure over the years of serving the former council chairman, the morals he lost, the friends he lost, all the underhanded things he had to do for Siegrian finally caught up to his suppressed emotions as the pitter patter of tears against the ground was heard. It was to overwhelming for him as he cried in a mixture of happiness, sadness from the memories, and relief that he never had to do it again. "Thank you! Thank you Gran Doma! Thank you! I'll never be able to repay you! Thank you!"  
>He merely watched Lahar with a genuine smile on his face as the former captain continued to cry, a teary eyed Doranbolt patting him on the back with a smile.<p>

Minutes passed, and everyone from the council, except Gran Doma, has left the area. Now, it was just the guild mages. From Fairy Tail to Shaman's Haven, and everyone in between. Makarov then addressed the army. "Alright! Now that things here have been restored, we have one more mission!"  
>"Take out Tartaros!" Most of them yelled in unison, followed by an uproar of cheers. Makarov then regained their attention. "It won't be easy, and it won't be quick. We don't know what they're planning, or when they'll try to strike. And as of now, we're outmatched. But! We won't be denied! You're mages! Wizards! We'll fight until we can't fight anymore, and by that time, we'll already be victorious!"<br>"Yeah!"  
>The cheers rise again. Everyone was actually pumped about taking on ye strongest guild, head on in fact. That cheering, this moment of hope, the glimmering light of faith for the mages...quickly burned out.<br>They could feel small tremors in the ground. They became stronger with each passing second. Seconds after that, five giant figures were now visible. Seconds after that, four smaller figures could be seen on their shoulders, and suddenly, everything clicked. Everyone stood in shock and disbelief as the four males of Tartaros were seen perched on their marching demons. "No...no way! Why now!?" Luke questioned in a panic.  
>What was worse, was Takeru's reaction. Selene spotted arc, and immediately turned to Takeru, who was completely frozen. Words hitched inside his throat as he kept his eyes on the demon slayer that was once his friend. The read of White Eclipse did the same, turning to the speechless Tak the minute they spotted Arcturus. Everyone knew that running was out of the option for various reasons, so no one attempted to do so. Instead, they all slowly, cautiously slid into their fighting stances. An army of mages, still somewhat shaken by five demons and four Tartaros mages. They seemed somewhat ready, until Makarov noticed something waving in the distance. It was a white flag. Tobias waved the flag back and forth as the demons began to cover more space. "A white flag? Surrender?"<br>"It has to be a trap, master!"  
>Erza exclaimed. Makarov nodded once. "But..they wouldn't need on against us. Everyone, don't attack unless I say so."<br>"Don't get us killed old man." Sidney added. Makarov ignored as the demons finally came to a halt, yards away from the army of mages and Gran Doma.  
>Daityas and the others hopped down, Rugal and Arc first as Luke joined last, planting the flag into the ground. "Ah yes, everyone is here. This is much easier than looking for you all separately."<br>"What do you want, Daityas!?" Makarov asked, demanding an answer.  
>"Isn't it obvious? I want you all dead! But...I've been thinking, and I realized something. There's no Grand Magic Games this year huh? Not will all the chaos in Fiore right now. And, I feel partially involved in such a tragedy. I really enjoyed watching the last one." He waved to Kuro with a smirk. "Team Kuro, am I right?" Kuro backed away as Daityas continued on. "So we were thinking. How about we host our own games? Sounds fun right!? You all get to compete in the Tartaros games!"<br>"And if we refuse?" Lucy asked, keeping her distance after her comment.  
>"Ah see, I knew someone would ask that question." Daityas and the other Tartaros members began laughing. The King of Hell then pointed off in the direction of Magnolia. "Over that horizon is Magnolia right? Beautiful city." Daityas then snapped his fingers, and the Demon of Fire behind him began to glow. It then suddenly stopped glowing. Everyone turned their attention to Magnolia's horizon.<p>

Just on the outskirts of Magnolia, a random little girl was out and about. She picked a small flower up from the ground, and then began running back towards the town with it with such a joyous expression on her face. The sound of laughter escaped her as she ran in a carefree manner towards her home. Seconds later, she tripped, falling face first into the ground right before the "Welcome to Magnolia" sign. With teary eyes she sat up, brushing herself off while attempting not to cry.  
>All set, she bent down to pick up her flower. As she bent down, she grabbed it, and on her way back up, she noticed strange markings on the ground beginning to glow. Those markings glowed brighter and brighter, a bright orange circling around just outside the city. The little girl then dropped her flower once more as a giant spinning, flaming structure, almost like an upside down tornado, sprouted from the middle of Magnolia and immediately expanded all the way to the edge, devouring the entire city in demonic flames. The little girl watched in horror as the city quickly burned. The horrific screams didn't last long, but they were enough to leave the mental scars they did. From her dropped hand, the flower swooped, as if picked up by a wind, and touched the spinning flame, burning into nothing right in front of the little girl. Her family, her friends, the townsfolk, all now gone in a blink of an eye as the fire ends, leaving not a single trace of the city.<p>

His heart began to slowly beat out of his chest in a boisterous tone. He watched in horror with everyone else they saw the spinning flame reach the sky, even from where they stood. Magnolia was a good travel away from where they were, yet they could see it plain as day. Natsu's wide eyes turned to Daityas, now in a fit of rage that he would probably never be able to mimic again. "YOU MONSTER!"  
>"Natsu wait!" Lucy reached out for him but it was too late as The Salamander took off towards Daityas like a rocket, covered in flames as he aimed a Fire Dragon's Sword Horn for the Demon Slayer.<br>He grinned. "Déjà vu?" Daityas raised his right fist, and with impeccable timing, he slammed a crushing blow to Natsu's skull, pushing his head into the ground and creating a crater from the impact.  
>"NATSU!" A unison of worrisome yells filled the air from Happy and the others. The others stood in shock and fear instead. Daityas then picked him up, and tossed him towards a seething Makarov who caught him. "And that's what happens when you don't listen. Don't worry, he's not dead, but that's going to slow him down on his year long training. Oh yeah, we're giving you all a year to prepare. Yes, you have to participate in our games, or, as you saw, cities will burn until there is nothing left. Then what will you save?" But don't worry! There's good news!" Daityas hopped back onto one of his demons, the other three already perched and waiting to leave. "You have our word that if you somehow win. We'll revive every on that we've ever killed. Don't ask how, the book of Zeref will handle that. Sound fair?"<br>"Fair!? What good is your word anyways!?" Reve yelled, Taya grabbing his arm just in case he was to gain any ill advised ideas. "And you didn't even tell us how these games work!"  
>Daityas turned back once more, laughing. "And that fun would that be!? So you in a year!" He waved as the demons marched back from where they came. As his left, Arc continued to stare towards Takeru, who was also staring back, still a mixture of fear and disbelief. Arc then pointed towards him, causing Tak to jump a bit as the demon slayer gave a finger motion across his neck. Arc then began to laugh as he turned back around.<br>"See you in a year."

.

Back at the White Eclipse guild, everyone was inside, more people than before as the guilds that were once banned from alliances were now present as well. Yet, with every guild present, the place was in complete silence. In their infirmary room, Lucy and Happy sat with Natsu, who was still laying conscious from the single blow he took from Daityas. Back in the main room, Reve stood up. "We don't have a choice. We're gonna have to play the games. We'll have to train for a year straight, no breaks. Then, we'll have to win. There is no other option."  
>Everyone silently agreed. Erza then stepped forward, past Makarov as she spoke. "So it's settled? I guess we'll all meet here at White Eclipse in a year?"<br>Reve nodded, agreeing. "We'll meet here, lets say the day before the year is up, just in case. Until then, we're wasting time as we sit around. There's no way around this, right, Makarov?"  
>"Hm.." He nodded. The other guild masters did the same. With not much to say, the other guilds began leaving to prepare for their year long training. Once everyone cleared out, Reve shuts the door behind them, then turns back to his guild mates. "Well, there's one thing we can do."<br>Taya arched a brow. "And what's that?"  
>Reve didn't answer. Instead he gave a look towards Jack Royal, Zalen and Sidney Castle, Waiston Tunundra, and Kuro Crane. "You all know what's coming in exactly six months right?"<br>Kuro was the first to snap into a smile. "Oh yeah! The-"  
>"Don't spoil it, Kuro." Reve says, cutting him off. Waiston gains a sadistic grin as his memory was now jogged as well. "Oh yeah! Will it be enough though?"<br>"I'm sure with training for half a year, we'll be more than ready." Reve grinned. "Hey!" Nami yelled. "How about filling us in!?"  
>"Seriously, I want to know what's so special that's going to happen half a year from now." Heather added.<br>Reve merely grinned. "It involves all of you. Just train your hardest, and you'll all see exactly half a year from now. But you have to train, as hard as you can. This is the biggest perk of being a White Eclipse mage."  
>Rookies and veterans of the guild alike blinked. All but the originals were confused as to what Reve was going on about. "Six months guys. Bare with us until then."<p>

Just outside of the guild, Aurora Pistola was making their way back home. Leia brought up the rear as Master Mac led his kids back home. "Hey, Leia!" She turned around, only to see Luke Cloud running towards her. She blinked once. "...Luke, right?"  
>Luke caught up to her, smiling a bit as he caught his breath. "Yeah, that's me. I was just wondering...well, my guild mates usually already have partners for training, and I'm always the odd one out. So will you save me the embarrassment of training alone again, and be my training partner for this year?"<br>Leia, the blonde haired mage or Aurora Pistola, smiled slightly. She then looked back at her guild mates, who were becoming smaller by the second as they continued to walk off. "Um.." She shifted back to Luke, who was waiting for an answer. She then smiled a bit wider, and nodded. "Sure! Start tomorrow?"  
>Caught off guard at first, Luke nodded with a smile as well. "Yeah! That's fine! Tomorrow it is!"<br>"Alright..!" Leia bowed, and then took off running towards her guild, waving to Luke as she left. See you tomorrow then!"  
>He waved, watching her until she as no more. He then sighed to himself as he turned back to his guild to head inside. "Might as well make it count while I still can."<p>

.

As time passed, the Twilight Zone mages were now home, back in their guild as they all sat around, preparing for training. Rylo sat alone however, on a chair by himself as a bag was placed by his side, fully packed. As Evanee conversed with Melanie and Taranis, she turned to see the magician lacing his shoes. She then walked over to him. "Hey.."  
>Rylo looked up, and then back down to his feet as he continued tying them. "Hey.."<br>She cocked a brow, then crouched down to his level. "It's okay to be afraid if you are Rylo. This is a big-"  
>"I'm not afraid." Rylo says, cutting the nymph off from her statement. "I'm just quiet right now."<br>Evanee sighed a bit, then looked over at the bag beside him. "Training alone for this?"  
>"Actually, no. When I get back, I want to train with you, if that's okay.."<br>She paused, thinking about how she wanted to go all out in her training. She then began to think about how he would feel if Rylo saw such a gap between their strengths. Before she could answer.  
>"It's okay, Evanee. I know you've been holding back all this time when I'm around, and honestly, that's not fair to either of us. I appreciate you looking out for my feelings Evanee, but you've got me all wrong. Yeah I want to surpass you one day, but I don't want you to hold back because I can't catch up. It's my job to catch up. It's a personal goal of mine to beat you, fair and square. We've known each other since we were kids. I should of known you were holding back for so long. I've seen you progress."<br>"Rylo..." She paused again. The mint tipped hair mage then cups the jaw of the magician, lifting his head to meet his royal blue orbs. "I'm sorry, if I made you feel like you're weak. I didn't mean to."  
>Rylo smiled a bit, shaking his head to her statement. "You did no such thing. I'm glad you cared so much to make me feel so confident. But now...with Fiore in trouble, it's time for you to stop holding back. I'll be fine, I promise."<br>His smile grew as he finished his statement, causing Evanee to do the same as she wrapped his arms around the magician. "You're stronger then you think, Rylo."

Alexander walked past at this moment, bag in hand as he made his way to the door. "Whoa there war god." Rylo says as he breaks the hug between him and Evanee. "Getting started on training already? You sure you don't want to ask a guild mate to be a partner?"  
>Alexander turned to Rylo with his hand on the door knob. "I will, when I get back. I have to handle something first."<br>With that, he quietly walked out, closing the door behind him. Rylo then turned back to Evanee as Alexander began walking. "It seems we all have personal vendettas huh? I wonder what his is..."  
>Outside, as he walked, Alexander unfolded a piece of paper. It was an old wanted poster that he snagged from the council headquarters. On the paper...was Minerva's face. "Alright...Minerva. I think it's time. I think I'm ready... I'm coming for you."<p>

"Speaking of personal vendettas,  
>I have my own as well." Evanee stood up from her crouch. Rylo arched a brow towards her. "And what's that?"<br>"There's been a certain ghost mage that's been looking down on me for way too long. I think it's time to show him that he's not as high and mighty as he believes."  
>"You're going to take on Sidney Castle?" Rylo first held a surprised expression. It then turned into another genuine smile and head tilt. "Poor guy!"<p>

.

{Before. When everyone was leaving White Eclipse.}  
>Lucy and Happy continued to sit quietly in the infirmary. Both of them were bedside as Natsu continued to sleep, bandages wrapped around his head from where he was struck. "Natsu..." Lucy sniffled, attempting to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. "You're always so reckless... Please wake up soon...so I can be mad at you. I rather be mad than worried about you." She grabbed his hand, giving it a light squeeze as Happy stood on the bed, watching his partner sleep. "Natsu..."<br>Seconds after, Leon opens the door, looking over towards The Salamander, then at Lucy and Happy who ignored his presence until he spoke. "I know it's not a good time, but it's the only time I'll see you until. So when Natsu wakes up, tell him that in eight months...we're going to fight."  
>Not that they were going to respond, but Leon left right after he spoke. Lucy then wiped her eyes as she stayed focused on Natsu.<p>

"Lets worry about you waking up first.."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Ultear (Filler)

Lahar and Doranbolt, both now in street clothes, sat at one of the few remaining bars in Fiore. It was Lahar that joined Doranbolt, who was already there and a bottle of alcohol in. He sat with his friend and ex councilmen. The two exchanged smiles as the bartender slid Lahar a beer bottle. Once he popped the top to it, he took a swig of the drink, then placed it back down on the counter. "First day as an ex councilman." Lahar said, chuckling a bit as he spoke the statement.  
>"Yeah.." Doranbolt raised his bottle once more, taking a few gulps before placing it down again. "Bittersweet really, but definitely needed."<br>"I agree Doranbolt." Lahar tilted his bottled towards his friend before drinking once more. "So, what have you been up to since?"  
>"Lahar...it's only been a day. Why, what have you been up to?"<br>"Well... I met a woman."  
>"What!?" Doranbolt was in a comincal shock. "So fast!?"<br>Lahar chuckled at his ex comrades expression. "Yeah, it just happened. I was on my way home, and I don't know, it was like I could actually see my surroundings now that I no longer have to stay vigilante."  
>"You say that like we still aren't in danger." Dornanbolt adds as he finishes off his bottle, waving to Lahar to continue, and then to the bartender for another beer.<br>"Well I was almost home, when across the street there she was. And...we just ended up conversing for hours on end."  
>Doranbolt laughed, and patted Lahar on the back. "Atta boy! I didn't know you had it in you!"<br>He fixed his glasses, giving the other a low glare. "What's that mean?"  
>Doranbolt laughed a bit more. "I guess I'm next then."<br>"Anyone but Wendy." Lahar snuck in, now deviously grinning at Doranbolt's reaction. "It's not like that!" He gave a comical seething expression before downing his drink, placing the bottle on the counter just a bit harder than usual. Lahar waved him off. "I'm kidding. I know you wouldn't. Besides, Fairy Tail would have your head before then anyways."  
>"Right. But anyways. I wonder if Ultear has found them yet."<br>"Hm?" Lahar raised a brow, then nodded in remembrance before taking one last swig of his drink. "If anyone can find those two...it's Ultear.

.

"Today's meal, beef and rice over an open fire!"  
>Meredy grabbed the hot bowls and handed one to the blunette. Jellal took the bowl as the two sat down in the middle of the random forest. He blew on the contents of the bowl, then looked back towards the pinkette. "Don't forget to extinguish the fire before we sleep this time. We're in a forest, so it'll easily catch fire if we leave it."<br>"Yeah!" Meredy exclaimed as she smiled before digging into her bowl of beef and rice. "So, where are we headed after this, Jellal?"  
>He swallowed the rice in his mouth, pounding his chest a bit before speaking. "I figured we check out the rumors north from here. See if there's any dark guild plaguing that area."<br>Meredy's face slowly dropped as she stared at her bowl. "Hey...Jellal."  
>"Yes Meredy?"<br>"...Are you afraid of Tartaros?"  
>Jellal stopped his movement, dropping his utensil back into his bowl. "...I'm not afraid of Tartaros, Meredy. I'm afraid of you getting hurt by Tartaros."<br>"But I can take care of myself! They were lucky back then! You've heard the rumors Jellal! They're threatening the world! We have to do something or-"  
>"Meredy!" His outburst caused her to hitch back. Jellal then sighed softly. "Sorry, but those are just rumors. And yes, I know that's what we go on, but, I just don't believe it this time."<br>"You should."  
>Jellal quickly scrambled to his feet, with Meredy right behind him. "Who are you!?"<br>Before them, a hooded figure stood. The suspense of who it was quickly wore off as they both recognized that the hood that the figure wore, was the exact same as their own. Both of their eyes widened as she took off her hood, Ultear revealing herself to them with cloudy eyes. "I got fired. Siegrain is no longer in power...and I no longer owe him my services. Still, I'm sure you both hate me, but if you let me return I-"  
>Before she could finish her statement, Meredy nearly tackled her by wrapping her arms around Ultear's torso. She began sobbing into Ultear's chest. She was taken back at first, but then a small smile etched upon her face as she patted Meredy on the head. She then looked up towards Jellal as he stood with a smile as well. "There's room for another, but make it quick. Someone has to be the backbone of this group and it won't look good if all of us...are crying." At the end of her sentence, tears began to fall from her eyes, just like Meredy's. Jellal smiled a bit more, then walked over towards the two to join the group hug, cradling Ultear's head into his chest. "We missed you so much!" Meredy yelled into her torso. Ultear laughed, a mixture of laughter and sniffling coming from the two girls. Jellal embraced them both a bit tighter. "We did miss you, a lot. We're glad you're back.<p>

Ultear."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Month 1: Twilight Zone, Part 1.

Four mages went their separate ways from the Twilight Zone guild. First was Kairi, who unfolded a small slip of paper in her hands. On the small slip, a note that read "If you want your 'sister's' magic back, meet me where Oshibana used to be."

She could feel the smugness within the note. She crumpled it within her hand, dropping the note as she headed eastward, away from her new guild. "Don't worry Skye... I'll save what's left of you."

Headed north, in front of everyone since he left earlier, was Alexander. He continued to look at the wanted poster in his hands. He curled his lip towards the picture of Minerva. "If the world does end, I can't let my life end not knowing if I've surpassed you, Minerva. The worst teacher to ever grace Earthland."

Now headed south, Rylo kept his head lowered as he moved along. He held his bag over his shoulder, and his hat over his eyes. The emotionless expression his lips showed, slowly turned into a grin. "The Entertainment Trio is gone. Now I only have one target left. The biggest regret in my life. Tiny...Kemuri. Kemuri. I'm coming for you both, but I want your head, 'bossman."

Finally, headed west, was the ace herself. The nymph continued onward, not having far to travel as White Eclipse was already visible in the distance. She held her head up high, tightening her fists as she stepped into the snowy domain. "Okay. Sidney Castle. It's time for you to back up all that talk you've been doing. I'm going to show you what happens when you look down on me."

With that, the nymph made her way up the three stairs, and knocked on the front door of White Eclipse, waiting for an answer.

She received one, as Aira opened the door, blinking. "Evanee? Did you forget something?"

Evanee bowed out of respect. "I'm here to see Sidney. I have to ask him something."

Aira nodded, and then moved out the way to allow her entrance. "He's not here though, but he said he'd be right back. So you can come in and wait if you like."

Evanee bowed once more, and then walked inside, taking a seat at the main table as she waited for the ghost mage. Aira closed the door, then came back around to her. "Would you like something to drink while you wait?"

Evanee shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you. I'll just wait here patiently."

"Alright then." Aira then turned, and walked back into the hallway, disappearing from the main room. Evanee was now sitting at a table with a quiet Zalen, who was flipping through a book. "So...going to fight my brother huh?"

She raised a brow. "How did you know?"

"People only come for Sidney for three reasons. One, they want to kill him. Two, they want him to train them, and I know that's not it, because as an ace you have too much pride for that. Or three, which is the correct answer, his monotone, yet smug like comments about your performance and strength, or in his eyes, lack there of, got to you and you now want to prove him wrong by beating him in a fight."

Evanee blinked a few times. She then shrugged towards the architect mage. "Well...yeah it's three."

"And that's the reason..." He closed his book, standing up from the table as he pushed his chair under. "Thats why you won't win."

Evanee disregarded Zalen's comment as he walked upstairs. As he did so, the main door opened, and Sidney walked in. He immediately spotted Evanee, who turned around as well, now standing to meet the other ace's gaze. "Sidney Castle."

"You don't have to recite my name like you're unsure. You know who I am."

"Tch..!" Evanee curled her lip from his answering. She then pointed towards the mage. "I challenge you to a fight. Right now."

A pregnant pause filled the guild as the other guild members quickly yet quietly poked their heads into the main room, waiting for Sidney's answer. "I accept. I'll meet you outside."

Evanee blinked once, finding the challenge acceptance easier than she thought it would be. She then nodded, and followed Sidney outside. Behind her, the guild flooded out, all hanging on the patio as they leaned on the railing. "How long do you think it'll take him to beat her Reve?" Kuro asked with the utmost innocence. Still, Evanee's eye twitched from the question. She then became a bit more annoyed at the answer. "She's an ace so maybe, fifteen, twenty minutes? Sidney's never the type to play around. That's why he always asks you guys to give him a minute while he powers down. But some of us learn that he hard way. Right Jaxon and Luke?"

The two mages avert their eyes in embarrassment.

"Wow, Sidney is that strong, and I finally get to see it!" Saeko cheers as she smiles in admiration for the guild's strongest. Almaz then turns to Reve. "Reve! Is it true that he took down seven of y'all at the same time!?"

"Seven of /them/!" Reve pointed over to the veterans and originals. "I was on a job, so I wasn't here. But yeah, he handled all seven of them easily."

"Like you would of done better.." Selene mumbled to herself.

Back in the front yard, the two mages stood off against each other, creating the calm before the storm. Sidney then took in a short breath. "It's White Eclipse tradition to allow the weaker mage to begin the fight, so if you will."

As if the peanut gallery wasn't enough to annoy her. Evanee clenched her fists tighter after hearing Sidney's words. Yet, she decided to oblige. She slid into a stance, and immediately, her magic aura began to waver, and then skyrocket as she shook the ground around them. The other mages braced themselves on the railing as the ground shook. Only Sidney stood unphased as he waited for the nymph to make a move. "Are you ready? Because here I come!"

"I don't need warning. I told you to begin."

His monotonous words stung in annoyance once again, and with that, Evanee took off, lunging towards Sidney to start the fight.

.

.

.

Alexander found himself in the middle of a certain forest, not only filled with trees, but surrounded by steep, jagged hills. Every trail was either elevated or descending. The war god continued to move along the strange looking forest, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone or anything. Finally, after almost another mile of walking in the seemingly endless forest, a well sized figure appeared, standing yards away from Alexander and glaring. "Who are you?" The y'all and muscular asked in a demanding tone. He had dark eyes and black hair that was tied back into a ball of a tail. Alexander narrowed his eyes, noticing a guild symbol on the person. The same symbol that Minerva was carrying in her picture. Succubus Eye.

Alexander rolled up his sleeve, revealing a guild sign of his own. It wasn't Twilight Zone's. "My name is Alexander Khan, member of Silent Sanctum. I came here to see

Minerva on very important business."

"Silent Sanctum huh? That's pretty high up in the alliance. I'm Doriate of Succubus Eye."

"Your name isn't important to me at this moment." Alexander replied, keeping his stern visage. Doriate scoffed, growling a bit as he turned to face away from him. "Careful... Silent Sanctum mage. Follow me.."

Alexander rolled his sleeve back down, now following Doriate back to the building in which Succubus Eye was stationed. As time passed, the two finally arrived, walking through the main door and taking a right down the hall until the came to a well sized room. With the door open, Doriate knocked anyways as he stepped inside. On the other side of the room, she was there. Sitting down on a stool with her legs crossed, facing a mirror as she painted the dark lipstick on her lips, rubbing them together with the other. "Minerva.."

"I told you, Doriate." She responded without turning around. "Call me M'Lady."

"She hasn't changed a bit." Alexander thought to himself as he waited for Minerva to turn around.

She did. Her eyes perked for a second, then narrowed back down to a smile. "Alexander Khan. What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"He's a Silent Sanctum mage!" Doriate answered as if he was the one being addressed.

"Oh?" Minerva arched a brow. "Is that so, Alexander?"

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the guild insignia. Alexander then ran his hand against it, wiping off the obviously fake insignia. No one in the room, except Doriate, was surprised. "It's time, Minerva." The Twilight Zone mage spoke. Doriate clenched his fist and raised it. Alexander didn't budge at the potential threat. Instead, Minerva raised her hand, causing Doriate to stop his actions as he looked over towards her, grunting in displeasure of her decision. "So, my only student wants to try and surpass the master huh? Cute... You came all this way... Just to be rejected."

He narrowed his eyes, clenching both of his fists tighter. "I'm not leaving until I get what I want."

"Sorry, Alexander, but you're not even worth the time. I'm actually surprised you didn't give up on learning my magic after all this time. Now if you'll excuse me."

"I'll give you something if I lose."

She was walking back to her mirror, now stopping in her tracks at his plea. "Hm? And what could you have that I would want, Khan?"

"If I lose, you can take my life. Then you'll once again be the only one known with your magic."

She arched another brow, placing her right hand on her hip as she pondered the situation. "And if you win?" She asked with pursed lips.

"If I win, that's it. I win. I have no intention of killing you. I just want what you stole from me. Back at the Grand Magic Games, when you left without a trace. I wasn't ready to be on my own. When you left, I realized that I was trained, basically raised by a coward. And I can't accept that. So I must defeat you, so I know that I'm better than a coward, even if she did teach me nearly everything I know."

The expression on her face changed from being called a coward, slowly turning into one of annoyance, borderline anger as her brows furrowed. "Coward!? Well then, taking your life as a /coward/ should clear everything up. I'll meet you outside, you ungrateful shit."

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Oshibana, the lone figure stood there in the middle of the city that no longer stood, the sword that once belonged to Skye Ravenwood sheathed, hanging from the figure's back. At the edge of the city, walking towards that figure, was Kairi. She scowled once her target was in sight. The figure turned to her, the outline of a smirk could be seen through the mask. Seconds later, Kairi now stood across from the culprit.

"Before I beat you to an inch of your life and take that sword from you, tell me, who do you think you are? I'm sure you were there when the council took my sister's life. And-"

"Sister? She isn't your sister..."

The figure cut her off. The voice was too deep to be that of a woman's, which threw Kairi off. She arched a brow, staying ready to strike as the person in front of her raised their right hand, and slowly pulled the mask off of /his/ face. Looking him over, she realized how the man before her really resembled Skye. His lighter brown hair spiked up a bit, despite being held down by the mask. His eyes were the same color as the former Blade Requip mage.

"...She was mine."

Kairi was wide eyed. It clicked, standing before her, was the Skye Ravenwood's brother.

{FlashBack}

"Kairi please!"

"Skye I really don't feel like it."

"Please! Reve won't do it today! It'll only take five minutes!"

"Skye...we just came back from training. Can't you take a break?"

"Five minutes!"

"Okay!" Kairi hopped up from her seat, now shuffling her feet as she made her way outside to catch up with Skye, who had already sprinted out into the snowy area. Skye then tossed Kairi an apple that the angelic takeover mage placed on top of her head. "Okay! Biofrost!" The Blade Requip mage yelled, and from her back, her sword appeared, glowed, and then changed shape into her patented bladed ring. "Here we go!" She yelled as she spun once, twice, and then flung the weapon Kairi's way. It started low, and then swooped upward, right over Kairi's head as Biofrost sliced the apple clear in half in a horizontal fashion. The two halves fell to the snowy ground, and Kairi picked up another one, sighing.

Skye caught her weapon, and smile back at the uninterested Kairi. Her smile slowly faded. "Something wrong, Kairi?"

"I was just wondering. You said you have an actual sibling right? How come you've never gone to visit him? It was a him right?"

Skye lowered her head a bit, averting her eyes away from Kairi and to the snow as she rubbed her arm. The pain in her expression was evident, causing Kairi to immediately retract the question. "Uh.. Skye! Never mind, forget that I asked!"

"Do you not want me to see you as an older sister, Kairi?" The brunette asked, still shying away from eye contact between her and the other.

"No, I didn't mean that! Of course I want to! Just...pretend I never bright it up." She quickly placed the apple back on her head, and smiled towards Skye. Skye then walked past Kairi. "I'm done training for the day. Thanks for the help..Kairi.."

"Skye..."

{FlashBack}

"Then answer me this." Kairi says as she continues to glare towards the male. "What did you do to Skye, for her not to want to talk about her family?"

The male grinned a bit more, running his hand through his hair as he chuckled. "What did I do? It's what she didn't do. Lets just say, that though being an assassin runs through our blood, Skye wanted another path. That was something not allowed in this family."

"Are you going to keep talking around my questions, or will you answer them!?"

He pointed towards the upset Kairi. "The only thing you need to know, is that my name is Ryker Ravenwood, and because of you clowns of mages, my sister is dead. The first to be killed in our family of assassins. So now, as her older brother, by creed of the Ravenwood assassins, I have to carry this sword and magic, and redeem it's value and honor. One thousand assassinations before the Claymore Sword can be purified from the disgrace that Skye was, and you'll be the first."

"It was the council that killed her! Why would you work for them if you're an assassin!?"

He chuckled again. "How else was I going to get the lacrima? How ironic that they used that chair for something that was going to come out of her once she died anyways. She's not the first one to hold this magic, and as you see, she's not the last. Now, if you're done with the questions..."

"I actually have one more." Kairi spoke as a magic seal appeared under her. Her lilac colored hair began to waver upwards as the loose rock around her levitated. "Is there any specific piece of you I should rip from your body, or am I allowed to pick one myself?"

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An abandoned city, at the end of it was a small house. It was the only house that seemed to be stable enough to use as living quarters. Rylo walked towards it. He knew to come here, memories told him that if Sorcière Warehouse was to ever fall, that the regroupment would be placed here, in this abandoned town. The area was desert like, sandy winds blowing as the magician continued on, walking towards that house. He didn't have to walk far before the door to that house slowly opened. However, he didn't stop his walk as Kemuri and Tiny stepped out of the house. No one was amused. Not a single grin, smirk nor smile was being illustrated as both mafia mages lit a cigarette in their mouths, cupping hands over them because of the wind until it was actually lit. "You sure you want me to sit this one out, Junior?" Tiny asked his boss. Kemuri slowly nodded, but Rylo caught whim of the question as well. "No, this is for you both. You can either wait your turn, or you both can come at me. Either way, I'm taking you both down."

Kemuri curled his lip in disgust of the magician that now stood before him, the wind blowing his blonde locks eastward as he inhaled some smoke from his stick, puffing it out as he followed the wind. "Either way, Ry, lets talk about the real reason why I want you dead. You have something of mine. One of my mafia hands told me that the safe was empty when they checked on it. I know you stole the money and jewels from the safe. I want it back. That's everything I own."

"I think it's fair that I took it, since you took everything from me. Well, you and Tiny and your dad."

Kemuri finally chuckled once at the memory. "It was either you or me, Ry. I wasn't about to be shunned by own father, not when I was the successor to an empire. We both knew the rules, and well, you were caught breaking them."

"And instead of coming clean, you allowed your father to enforce punishment. I had nowhere to go." Rylo couldn't clench his fists any harder without hurting himself. Tiny listened to the two go back and forth, finally over the pre fight argument. "So is this going to happen, or do you wanna continue going back down memory lane?"

"Be patient you oaf. You'll get yours too."

Tiny laughed at Rylo's retort. "Okay Rylo, I believe ya."

Ignoring the last statement, Rylo and Kemuri faced off in the sandy winds as Tiny hung back, watching the scene unfold. Kemuri flexed his fingers, slowly lifting his right hand with all fingers slightly bent. "It seems I need to remind you from that one day, who pulls the strings around here, Rylo Yutaka."

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A massive shockwave filled the air, shaking the ground; breaking it under Sidney's feet as well as a crater formed from under him. Evanee's first kick, landed against his opposing forearm. What seemed like a simple kick, created the temporarily unstable environment, as the mages on the sidelines now deemed themselves too close to the fight. They stayed and watched however, as Evanee touched back down on the ground, aiming a leg sweep to knock Sidney off balance. He didn't evade, instead, his feet were taken from under him. He slowly fell to the ground, emotionless. His blank white eyes watched as Evanee completed her spin from the leg sweep and then aimed a low kick for Sidney's head since he was now upside down. The kick was caught, and Sidney used the leverage the flip back upright. He stood once again, not at all phased by the previous leg sweep, though some would call that a successful strike against him. Evanee was in pursuit, and swung a heavy right hook for his jaw. He ducked at the last second, retaliating with a kick aimed for her midsection. That was blocked by both of the nymph's arms. Evanee slid back from the strength of the kick, but wasn't phased by that. Instead she charged in again, firing off a combination of punches and kicks. Sidney was able to either parry or evade them as he continued to scout his opponent. The combination ended with a failed roundhouse, and as a consequence, Sidney scored a hard spinning back elbow towards the nymph's mid section. Simultaneously hunching over and tumbling backwards into the snow, the nymph rolled into a crouching position, grimacing a bit from the shot to her abdomen. Silence was the noise around the fight, as Sidney's peers watched the fight in amazement. "They didn't even use magic in that go." Takeru pointed out. Reve then nodded. "That was impressive, but of course, Sidney came out on top in that exchange."

Evanee cautiously stood back up to a full stance as she eyes the ghost mage.

"You powered up earlier."

Evanee arched a brow as Sidney spoke. "But then you powered back down right before the exchange. Was that just a scare tactic? You should know that nothing scares a ghost. They're the ones who strike fear in others. If you're going to go all out, please don't bluff."

"What!?" Waiston exclaimed in question. "I thought she was giving it all she had! She's plenty strong then..."

Jaxon folded his arms, nodding to his best friend's words. "Tell me about it, I'm ready to see it take off now."

"This may be a good fight, but nothing's going to change." Zalen says nonchalantly. "Sidney will win, like always. No matter how close it comes."

"For a person who gets treated the worst by Sidney, you sure do praise him a lot." Cygnus says. Zalen ignores the comment, continuing to watch his older brother in action. Evanee shook her head just slightly, her emerald orbs glared towards the ghost mage. She then began to mumble to herself. "I'm going to hit him so hard that he'll no longer be so quietly smug."

Suddenly, Evanee's body began to "seep" into the ground, disappearing from the visible eye. Everyone looked around, trying to locate the nymph, including Sidney who shifted his eyes around in an attempt to spot her. Without warning, and explosion of under-worldly magic rose from under Sidney, seemingly consuming the ghost mage in his entirety. The explosion covered a huge radius, disrupting the calm that was established before the said attack. Off to the right, Sidney appeared in a puff of white smoke, unharmed as he descended from mid air.

"Untouched!" Nami yelled.

As he was seen in mid air, from the smoke of the explosion, Evanee darted from her cover, towards Sidney with a summation of magic in her hands. "Constellational Stream!" From point blank range, she fired the highly concentrated and powerful beam of light energy right into Sidney's spine, pushing him into the snowy ground. On impact, a magical explosion occurred from the energy. Widened eyes were everywhere. It was the first time a lot of them have seen a direct hit on Sidney Castle.

"..."

As the smoke began to clear, the ghost mage could be seen standing. He dusted himself off as the bruises on his skin were evident, pieces of his clothing torn. He nodded towards the nymph, a nod in respect for what he saw as an accomplishment. Evanee didn't return any sign of respect. Instead, she slid back into her stance, crouched and charged Sidney once again. Evanee's eyes then adopted a golden color with a pattern similar to that of a magic seal, after which two identical seals formed above and below the White Eclipse ace. A bright flash emitted, which ultimately led to the channeling of an extensive amount of magic. At the same time, the second that the magic seals were visible, the ghost mage himself channeled his own magic seals. One of him under himself, and the other under the running Evanee, both seals ran through each other, and with perfect timing, the two mages switched places, unwillingly for Evanee. The nymph then felt the paralytic pain of her own attack. It was made to paralyze her opponent, but instead, she was the one caught inside. Once Sidney appeared in his new location, he touched down in the snow, and immediately lunged for the nymph. She was slowly fighting out of her paralytic state, but not fast enough as Sidney then scored a massive uppercut to the woman's left rib cage. The blow caused her eyes to shoot open in pain, hunching over slowly as Sidney held his fist there. The spectators cringed for her as the surging pain in her ribs commenced. To show no mercy, Sidney then raised his leg, and fired down an axe kick for the nymph's head. She rolled, just moving out the way as the high impact kick splits the ground open a couple of yards. Evanee watched the ground split open, then turned back to Sidney who now had his hands on the ground. "He's starting to get serious..."

"Resurrection: Frankenstein."

From the magic seal, a giant, cliche looking Frankenstein rose from the ground, standing about thirty feet tall. It held amazing strength, though kind of slow. As it's first act, it swung down it's right fist, aiming for the nymph. She quickly scrambled to the right to avoid the blow, which she successfully did as the fist left a crater it's size. Usually, you would find Sidney perched on the shoulder of the Frankenstein, but this time, as Evanee just avoided the previous punch, she ran right into an incoming knee from the fellow ace, just getting her arms up to the cushion the blow. Sidney then followed with an upward kick, aiming for her jaw, but Evanee evaded that as well by leaping away. As she did, Evanee drew in a deep breath, concentrating magic into her mouth. She then lurched her head forward, unleashing a devastating torrent of Underworldly magic towards the Frankenstein. It's crossed it's arms over it's person, yet the magic attack sent it sliding back and eventually off it's feet. The next motion happened so fast. While the Frankenstein was already on it's way to the ground, with her immense speed, Evanee leaped towards the being, and slammed both of her feet in a diving motion, into the forehead of the giant being. The impact caught another rumble, and following that was the disappearance of the Frankenstein.

"Whoa...! She defeated that quickly." Jaxon says, watching on in astonishment. Taya then begins to smirk, leaning her chin onto her hand that now leaned on the railing. "Well Sidney.. It seems you have a real opponent this time. What are you gonna do?"

Evanee touched down back on the ground, and the second she did, she slammed a fist into it. She noticed Sidney charging her once the Frankenstein appeared, and took full advantage as Evanee summoned forth several towers of a darkened rock that surrounded the charging ace, causing him to stop his pursuit. The blood red cores of each pillar drew in magical energy from the Underworld, and focused it into concentrated beams, which fired simultaneously towards Sidney.

No where to go, the mage covered up as a magic seal appeared under him at the last second. Evanee held some powerful magic techniques, and with the last one, another eruption of magic occurred, causing yet another explosion that rocked the entire mountain side. When all was said and done, the darkened rock towers dispersed back into the ground, and where Sidney once stood, was an urn. Evanee raised a brow, cautiously sliding back into her stance. Everyone else looked on in a slight state of shock. The urn began to shake, and as the lid popped open, a string of white smoke slithered out, recreating the form that was Sidney Castle. He was unharmed from the previous assault, still the same bruises from Evanee's first landed assault and nothing more. "Tch!" A frustrated suck of the teeth escaped the nymph as the urn then shattered, turning into nothing.

"Take note everyone. Sidney had to use his only defense spell. And now it's gone."

Reve looked over towards Taya, who seemed to be enjoying the struggle that the mage was having. "...So who's side are you on?"

"Relax cowboy. I'm just enjoying the good fight. Of course I'm rooting for our ace. It wouldn't look good for us if our strongest went down."

"Which he won't." Zalen added. The building mage then turned back towards the fight, showing a but of concern as he eyed the nymph, who even though was peeved from the last defensive tactic, stood with a new found confidence against Sidney himself.

"He won't lose. He never has...and never will.."

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They both stood outside of Succubus eye, the other guild members watching as Minerva held a hand on her hip in amusement. She swiped one of her tails to her hair back behind her head, chuckling at the male before her. "You're still as scrawny as I remember, Alexander."

"Strength has nothing to do with appearance, Minerva." He retaliated. Their calm before the storm was just settling in as a slight breeze blew past them both. Finally, Alexander slid into a readied stance. Minerva stayed how she was as Alexander lowered his glare towards her. He then pressed his foot into the ground as his war god magic wrapped around his hands. He then rushed towards Minerva, who still stood amused. She then quickly swayed to the right, keeping her same grin as she evaded Alexander's incoming palm strike. That grin of her's quickly faded as she underestimated Alexander, the male war god quickly following up with another palm strike that slammed into her abdomen, bending her over yet pushing her away. She came to a sliding halt, holding her stomach where the strike connected. She snarled towards the war god mage. "...Brat!"

As she cursed him, it seemed she took too long as Alexander was in pursuit again, leaping upwards and then diving towards her with both magic palms out. She quickly jumped out the way, causing him to slam his hands into the ground, breaking up the earth under him. Minerva landed, and turned back to Alexander, who was once again in pursuit. "Be gone, cretin." She raised her hand, and suddenly, Alexander was surrounded by a bubble of territory magic. That bubble then explodes, popping the outer shell of it once it was done as it contained the explosion inside. Once the smoke was cleared, the mage was hunched over, panting from the attack as bruises were now visible on the body. Minerva turned back to Alexander with the most angered of features. "Do you think you're funny?"

"Don't get mad at a move you taught me, Minerva."

Alexander watched the panting Minerva. It seemed he used his own territory magic to switch places with her just before the explosion. Alexander grinned a bit, but quickly wiped it away as Minerva made her way back to a full stance. With her new guild mates watching her, she clenched a fist as she bared her teeth towards the male. "You're just delaying the inevitable, Khan."

"Don't use my last name." He retorted, holding his position and waiting for Minerva to make a move. She smirked, and then chuckled aloud at his response. "Khan. I do what I please. I have no reason to respect your wishes. You're lucky I'm even giving you this fight."

Alexander didn't respond. Instead he slid back into his stance as Minerva raised her right arm. "Now, it's time for me to stop playing around with you. I did train you after all, so you have some moves, but they're not enough for you to survive here!"

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The fight began as déjà vu for the angel soul, as Kairi chased Ryker around with her light magic infused fists. Though there were no buildings, no walls to bounce off from, the assassin stayed evasive, leaping away as soon as he touched down just to stay ahead of Kairi by that much. "Ha! You still can't even keep up with me!"

Kairi snarled, but internally, she was focused while Ryker became comfortable. While chasing him, she feigned her next punch, allowing her to keep her momentum and follow right behind him. He was caught off guard by this, eyes widened as Kairi was now right in front of him as he descended back to the ground. He knew he wasn't going to be able to dodge in time, so to retaliate, he held his right hand out, creating a blue magic seal. From it, a blue lightning bolt fired out, and slammed into Kairi, stunning her momentarily. Kairi fell to the ground, quickly shaking off the paralysis in time as she rolled away from an incoming stab from Ryker and the claymore sword. Ryker pulled the sword back out of the ground and held it with both hands. "You recovered from that pretty fast." He said while grinning. Kairi stood back up from kneeling, giving somewhat of an excited smirk. "That should be the least of your worries."

She slowly came to a full stance, and once she did, she held out both palms as a golden magic seal was created. "Meteor Blast!" She exclaimed, and from the seal, she fired off a plethora of meteor shaped blasts towards the assassin. Ryker gave an excited smile as he clutched his sword backwards. He then ran forward, leaping from side to side to avoid the incoming meteor blasts. He leaped forward, spinning in the air as he literally sliced on of the blasts in half, the two halves now going over and under him. Kairi continued to fire as Ryker kept moving forward at an immense speed. She finally stopped the futile attack, just in time as she barely stepped away from Ryker's downward swing. She threw a hard right kick forward, that was easily parried by Ryker's own. Sliding back, she cupped her hands once again now that she had the assassin at a closer range. "Cosmic Explosion!"

She then fired the gold and silver colored sphere, and though Ryker dodge the blunt of the attack, once it hit the ground, the explosion behind the attack caught him, sending him flying upwards. Once he recovered in the air, he scanned the ground, noticing that Kairi was no longer there. Finally, once he turned around, he ran right into a hard right light magic infused hook from the take over mage, the punch connecting right into the jaw. Ryker fell right into the ground, crashing. As the smoke cleared, he slowly stood up with the help of his sword, quietly grinning to himself as Kairi landed back on the ground across from him. "Chinese Blade." He whispered, and as he did, the normal claymore sword in his hand glowed, and then changed shape into a long thin blade with a handle.

"Chinese blade...his agility should pick up now.." Kairi says as she analyzed what she remembered of Skye's weapon's abilities. Kairi then shifted into a defensive stance, waiting for Ryker to make a move, which he did as he crouched, and took off towards Kairi. He swung horizontally, Kairi flipping over to evade the incoming blade. The second she landed however, she felt a sharp lashing pain in her back. Ryker had already thrown a second strike, and Kairi was just in range to take the punishment as a long, shallow slice was visible just through the now ripped torso attire on her back. She hissed in pain, clenching her teeth as she tried to ignore the pain. Kairi then flipped forward to avoid another incoming strike, only to find herself in mid flip as Ryker was inches away from her, about to throw another. With wide eyes and desperation, the take over mage quickly fired off a round of her air bullets just to keep the assassin at bay so she could land safely. It worked as the bullets landed against his chest, pushing him back painfully until he finally rolled out of the way, clutching his sternum. Kairi landed from her flip, panting in relief, yet uneasiness as Ryker did the same, only grinning with his pants. "What's wrong? Can't keep up?" The male asked her rhetorically. "An assassin gets his job done as soon as possible, so if you don't have the speed to keep up with me, you're going to die soon."

Kairi slowly went from we stance, panting, to standing back up straight. He narrowed her eyes a bit as another magic seal appeared under her. "If it's speed you want..."

Her entire attire changed as she began to glow. She now wore a silver one-piece suit, fitted with a sweetheart neckline, that is decorated by a gold frill. Her footwear changed into thigh high boots that are decorated with a thick gold trim. She also obtained matching wrist-length gloves. The angel take over now stood in her takeover: Uriel. "Then we can play this game, but as I up the ante, Ryker, know that speed isn't the only thing of mine that improves."

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"It seems I need to remind you from that one day, who pulls the strings around here, Rylo Yutaka."

Kemuri stretched both of his fingers outward, and from them, five small magic seals quickly appeared. From those magic seals, strings, the strength of steel, shot out and into the ground, breaking up the dirt beneath him. Those same strings, shot up from the ground, threatening to wrap around and subdue Rylo. At the same time, the magician crouched down, placing his hand on the ground and creating a magic seal that ran through him, causing him to vanish according to the naked eye. The strings obviously missed, slamming into the ground, and Kemuri began shifting his eyes from left to right, waiting for a sign of the magician. Tiny on the other hand, with a lit cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke with his eyes closed. He then slowly opened them. "High kick to your left."

Kemuri acted accordingly to Tiny's statements, blocking the incoming invisible high kick. He then grabbed Rylo's leg so that he couldn't escape. "Tch..!" Rylo grimaced from the grip as Kemuri smirked from the successful counter. From his left hand, Kemuri's string returned, wrapping around the magician's neck as he once again became visible. "That trick isn't going to work, magician. You better have something else up those sleeves of yours!" Kemuri then lengthened the strings, raising Rylo high into the air, and back down again, slamming him into the dirt violently. He then whipped the strings back behind them, and then forward, slinging Rylo forward as he tumbled into the ground.

"Tch...why would you let him go?" Tiny asked Kemuri, though low enough to where he couldn't hear him. Rylo made his way to his feet, snarling a bit as he kept his narrowed eyes towards the mafia mage.

"One hundred!" Kemuri yelled. He then slammed his right on the ground, a magic seal appearing from that location. As he removed his hand, exactly one hundred strings fired into the sky, arched like a rainbow, and then fell like rain, the points to them sharper than knives as the piercing rain aimed towards Rylo. He watched, and then immediately took off towards Kemuri, dodging the rain in the process. "When your strings are out, you can't use them to defend yourself!" Rylo yelled as he continued running forward, untouched by the piercing rain. Kemuri raised a brow, unsure of how the magician knew such information. He finally grinned. "Heh...that's true. With these my one hundred strings already out, I can't use them as a defense until I retract them. But..."

Rylo came into range as he pulled off his top hat, showing Kemuri the opening as a flaming vortex shot out from it. Simultaneously, Kemuri slammed his hands down again, a wall of his steel strength strings shot into the air, acting as a defense. The wall was thick, counting exactly nine hundred thin ropes bundled together. Rylo looked on in shock, unaware of this tactic from his own childhood friend. "You see Rylo, there's this thing called improving your magic. I used to be lazy when I was a kid, and that's why you probably underestimated me huh? It's no longer a hundred at my disposal. It's a thousand. As the string wall blocked the flaming vortex, the other one hundred quickly retracted, and Kemuri shot them out again without warning, this time directly at...and through Rylo as the stinging, piercing blows of the pointed strings ram through his limbs and shoulders before retracting again. Immediately Rylo fell to his right knee, panting heavily as his clothes quickly became stained with crimson from the small holes in his body. A gradually rising laughter left the throat of the mafia mage as he watched his former friend fall to his knees. "What's wrong Ry? You'z done already? I guess I should finish you off huh!?"

"I'm not...done.." He panted, slowly rising back to his feet. "Just a miscalculation is all.. Now that I know how many strings you can actually manipulate..."

The face of the magician was formerly covered by his eyes, until he looked back up towards Kemuri with an excited smile.

"This changes everything!"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Month 1: Twilight Zone, Part 2

"This changes everything! One thousand huh!? I feel like you should of had more than that by now Kemuri! It seems I've overestimated instead of under this time."

He scowled, glaring towards the magician as he heard his words. "I'm going to kill you, no...I'm going to do something worse. Three hundred!"

Slamming his hand on the ground once again, he released his string magic, three hundred strands charging Rylo this time from the ground. The magician smirked, and with a wave of the hand, he vanished, causing the strings to hit nothing. Kemuri groaned in annoyance as he began to retract his magic, but as he did, Rylo reappeared right to his left. The boss mage looked over, stunned as Rylo held out his top hat. "Goodnight."

"Rylo wai-" Before Kemuri could finish, a giant funnel of wind violently slammed into the blonde haired male, sending him hurling into one of the abandoned buildings. Through the new rubble and smoke, a shout of anger was heard, followed by the visible sight of another wave of strings. Rylo quickly caught glimpse of the string now raining down towards him. He was about to spring towards the mafia boss once more, but as the magician attempted to take off running, he found himself unable to move. He looked down, his eyes widening as he noticed the bundle of steel like string around his legs, binding him to the ground. After a few seconds of struggling, Rylo braced himself, covering his head and ducking as the seemingly endless rain of strings rained upon him, piercing (but not completely through) his arms, shoulders and spine. Heavy pants continued as the magician refused to scream out in the agonizing pain he felt. He was waiting for the retraction, but instead, only the strings around his feet unraveled. The others that were hooked inside his body, stayed intact. Kemuri then began laughing maniacally as he became visible once again. He then began walking towards the magician, the sadistic grin on his face still there, as if he was in control the whole time. "Like I said, it's me who pulls the strings around here, Ry! Now you're hooked into them. The strings of manipulation. Just like your friends back at Sorcière Warehouse, with my strings inside you, you now belong to me once more!"

Rylo fell to both of his knees, his hair covering his eyes as the rest of his facial features gave off an empty expression. Kemuri held his right hand as if he was holding a wine glass, and then clenched his right index finger. This movement, caused Rylo to stand. The clench of his middle finger caused Rylo to then walked towards him, and the magician now stood in front of the mafia mage. "I should kill you right now, but that would be too easy Rylo. I have something better planned for you. You thought you could get away with stealing from me, so in return, I'm going to steal from you. By taking the lives of those who you call family. That guild of yours will fall by your hands...starting with that girlfriend of yours. It'll be such an amusement to watch you kill her. Now, lets get a move on shall-"

Before the end of Kemuri's sentence, Rylo slammed a right hook right into his jaw, knocking him off his feet as the blonde crashed and slid into the ground. He leaned up, completely shocked at what just happened as he placed a hand on his cheek. He blinked a few times, then examined the magician. The strings were still there, Kemuri could see them plain as day. "H-how!? I have you under control! There's no way! I..."

Rylo lifts his head, his eyes still empty just like the rest of his facial features. This puzzled Kemuri even more. His confusion was then shortly answered. "I won't let you..."

Kemuri raised a brow as Rylo was somehow able to speak without his say so. He raised to his feet, now snarling in confusion and a stint of anger. "You disobey my magic!? Never!" Kemuri yelled as he clenched his entire hand. From the clench...Kemuri's command for Rylo to move towards him didn't happen. Instead an internal struggle was visibly happening as Rylo was fighting his own body, attempting to refuse to move towards Kemuri.

"This kid..." Tiny says to himself as he continued to watch the fight. Kemuri was growing more and more frustrated as he yanked his hand back, trying to gain leverage on the struggling magician. Slowly, Rylo raised his right hand, palm facing the ground as a magic seal appeared under it. From that seal, his assistant appeared, standing in her patented red dress and heels. She immediately charged Kemuri, throwing high kick towards the mafia leader's head. Kemuri was too busy with Rylo to defend himself, and Tiny quickly caught on to that. The right hand of Sorcière Warehouse stepped in at the last second, blocking the incoming high kick from the assistant. "Sorry, this isn't for you." Tiny states as his hand grows in size. He then reared back, and slammed it into Rylo's assistant. The celestial figure was continuously pushed back until violently slammed into another condemned building. Tiny pulled his hand back, reverting back to normal size as loose rubbe continuously fell from the building. The assistant was quickly no more. Rylo was unable to show the proper emotion for the situation due to his struggle for control of his own body against Kemuri, but he knew..at this point, he was in trouble. He could slowly feel himself slipping away from control...

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Ryker swung relentlessly at Kairi, the takeover: Uriel continuously dodging the Chinese blade with simple sways from left to right to showboat her new speed that seemed to far surpass his own. He became increasingly frustrated as he continued to swing, finally hunching over, gagging from the incredible right fist to the stomach that Kairi has just landed. She released her fist, and Ryker slowly stumbled forward, holding his gut with both hands as he fell to his knees. Still clutching the sword, his head rested on the ground as he continued coughing and gagging from the blow. Kairi then spoke without turning to face him. "I'll commend you for not dropping Skye's blade, but it's only a matter of time before you do."

"It's...not...hers..." Ryker forced himself to his feet, wiping his mouth clean of visible saliva and blood. "I've already told you, dumbass, this sword-"

"I don't care about your family traditions. Skye wanted to break free, and she did. That sword belongs to her, dead or alive. This will be the last day you use it."

"Shut up!" Ryker yelled as he charged Kairi full speed, swinging a horizontal swipe towards her. Kairi took a step back, just enough to fully avoid the incoming swing. She then lunged in, faster than before as she slammed a knee into Ryker's chin. He teetered backwards, trying to keep his balance. Once regained, he lowered his head again, only to see Kairi right in front of him. Instead of attacking however, Kairi held out her hand. "You're outclassed. Just hand over the sword, because I'm not leaving without it."

"Over my dead body!" Ryker yelled as he went to swing again, but the second he showed hostility, Kairi slammed a left fist to the top of his head. Ryker fell to his right knee.

"Hand it over."

"I'll kill you!"

She followed his second act of rebellion with a hard kick to the chin once more. Ryker fell to his back but slowly scrambled to a crouching position, mainly because he didn't have the strength to jump to his feet. Kairi walked towards him once more to close the distance, and once there, she opened her hand once again. "Are we going to continue this charade, or will I actually be able to spare your life?"

Ryker slowly lowered his head. "So...this is what Skye's been growing up with huh? It's too bad the council did get her then. She would of been great assassin, probably the best."

"I told you already. Skye didn't want to be an assassin."

Ryker ignored Kairi's comment. Instead he slowing raised to his feet, despite Kairi standing right in front of him. "This isn't over until I've won...Requiem."

Kairi narrowed her eyes, and took a single step back as Ryker's Chinese blade glowed, and then turned into a long scythe. He swung it in his hands a few times before pointing towards his opponent. "This will be the last round between us. Prepare to be my first kill with this weapon!"

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Minerva lowers her raised right hand, clenching it into a fist. She then thrusted her hand forward, a trail of her territory magic rushed towards Alexander in an explosive line. This caught him off guard as the explosions threw him off his feet. Alexander tumbled back into the ground, ending in a slide as he winced towards Minerva. Wrapping his hands in his palms again, he charged her, now throwing a multitude of strikes that continued to miss. Minerva kept her cocky grin, avoiding each blow with relative ease. She finally took an opening, and slammed a upward kick into his abdomen. He hunched over in pain, and Minerva added the pressure on by slamming another kick, left, to his jaw. Alexander went sliding away again, but this time his slide came to a halt as Minerva somehow appeared behind him with her heel on his right shoulder, now digging into it with the point. Alexander let out a muffled yell, trying to hold in the pain he was feeling. Minerva then opened another palm, aiming it towards Alexander. "...Die." Her only word was spoken as she repeated her previous attack, this time from point blank range as a plethora of small explosions occurred right under her, consuming Alexander with each continuous blow. Beneath her, everyone could hear the agonizing yells coming from Alexander, unable to move as Minerva didn't let up. "What was that you called me earlier? A coward? Only cowards scream like you do, Alexander! So who's the real coward here!? I'll continue until you no longer breathe! This is punishment for betraying the one who taught you!"

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The colossal clashing continued as Evanee and Sidney exchanged fists, each ending in a stalemate with each blow. This continued for minutes on end, until finally, Evanee went for a hard uppercut, missing as Sidney swayed away from the blow. He then quickly slammed his palms on the ground as another magic seal was created. "Resurrection: Phantoms." From the magic seal, two ghost like figures appeared, and flew towards Evanee. The nymph made the mistake of attempting to punch one, and the phantom flew right through her. Suddenly, her body became cold for a second before returning to it's normal "temperature." On top of that little effect, something else happened. As Evanee was about to return the seemingly useless attack Sidney just performed, the magic seal she needed didn't appear. She could now feel it. Her magic power was now temporarily missing. The two phantoms disappeared, and Evanee now felt as if she was running on empty. She snarled, realizing the dire situation she was in. Sidney stared her way. "Now would be a good time to admit defeat..."

Evanee continued to bare her teeth in frustration. Finally, she slowly slid into a fighting stance after a few deep breaths. The nymph then waved towards the ghost mage, beckoning him. "It's only temporary right? I can still feel my magic in me. It's just locked away or something right now. So I'll fight you bare handed until it returns."

Sidney nodded.

"Bare handed!? Fighting Sidney with no magic? That's a suicide." Luke statement caused a nod of agreement from everyone. Still, Evanee was ready, and instead of waiting, the nymph took off full speed, covering the distance between her and Sidney as she threw a hard right kick. It wasn't as hard as she expected however, as Sidney merely swatted it away, obviously backed with magic power, which made all the difference. Evanee tried again, swinging a hard left straight that Sidney once again pushed to the side. The push caused Evanee to stumble and as consequence, he slammed an open palm right into the nymphs right ear. Her head was now ringing, and she found herself in the snow once more as she pushed herself off, shaking the ringing and the blurry vision out. With immense speed, Sidney appeared over her, aiming a stomp for her head. Evanee quickly rolled out the way, and fired a quick right jab that stung the ghost mage right in the jaw. She then quickly followed with two more alternating punches. On the third one, Sidney regained himself, grabbing the nymph's fist before it could land against his jaw. With magic power backing him, he tossed Evanee into the air, the nymph quickly recovering high in the air, but was now a sitting target as Sidney kept his eyes on her. He then aimed an open palm towards her, and from it, a magic seal was created. From that magic seal, a plethora of tombstones fired off towards the nymph. With no where to go, Evanee covers herself as the round of tombstones slam into her continuously. Once they were finally done, out of the smoke cloud and falling rubble from the stones, Evanee plummeted head first. Sidney began walking towards her as she descended. The spectators also watched as she fell, coming to an early conclusion. "Looks like it's over." Reve says.

"Tch..I thought she had more in her to be honest." Taya replied.

Sidney continued walking forward, and Evanee continued falling. As she fell, her eyes flashed open, stopping Sidney right in his tracks and off guard. Evanee then opened her mouth, and from it, a vortex of underworldly magic fired from it, slamming directly into Sidney's sternum, lifting him off his feet from the direct hit. Gasps were heard all around as Sidney slammed into the ground, unmoving for the time being as Evanee flipped back into a standing position. Reve then grinned before calling out to the nymph. "So how long was your magic actually suspended?"

Evanee was flexing her wrist. She then slid into a stance as she waited for Sidney to return to his feet. "Only a few seconds..."

"She's just as monstrous as Sidney." Jaxon states.

"Not by a long shot." Zalen retorts.

"Okay Zalen, I know he's your brother, but give respect where it's due." Michio tells the architect. Zalen merely shakes his head, and then points over back to the battle. Sidney made his way to his feet. More bruises and cuts were clearly evident on his body. No one could tell who was in worse shape, the ghost or the nymph. "I'll commend you, Evanee Carlisle."

She raised a brow at Sidney's sentence, still holding her ground. "If this fight was to continues at this pace, there would be a chance of you winning. As a White Eclipse mage, I can't allow that. So I congratulate you, on causing me to use this technique."

"It doesn't matter what technique you use, I'm not giving in." Evanee replied before Sidney could start his technique. "I have something riding on this. My guild, is expecting a victory. I know my guild mates are on the way home from their victories as I speak... So I'm going to do the same!"

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"I know my guild mates are on the way home from their victories..." Minerva continued with her attack, laughing maniacally as she added the pressure on Alexander, not allowing him up as the explosions continued under her. He stopped his agonizing yell a while ago, but Minerva planned on continuing until his physical self no longer existed.

"So I'm going to do the same!"

Though he couldn't hear his ace, it was the words of the nymph that fueled the main moral behind the war god ever since he joined the guild. His hand clawed the ground, and somehow, past the explosions of territory magic, Alexander pushed himself up. Minerva quickly stopped her laughter, now puzzled as she kept firing. "There's no way you'll be able to stand!" She yelled as she opened her second palm to add on the pressure. This caused Alexander to fall again, but it didn't stop him completely as he pushed up once again. Slowly but surely, he made it to his feet, causing Minerva to stop her firing as she stood there in disbelief. With crimson trails falling from various locations on his person, Alexander slowly panted, yet grinned towards Minerva. "Losing to a coward, isn't a good look for a Twilight Zone mage. So with this right here. I'm going to end it... Yagdo Ragma!"

Alexander shouted out the technique, and from a massive magic seal on the ground, random statutes began to surround Minerva. She looked around, looking for an escape since she knew what was coming, but the second she took off, the statues began to illuminate with territory magic. In the next instance, a massive explosion occurred, consuming Minerva completely as she could be seen after the explosion, falling to the ground, until she slammed into the dirt with a hard thud. She was clearly unconscious, and Alexander struggled, but raised his right arm up in victory.

"I did it...I beat her..." He huffed out, painfully holding himself together as he leaned against a tree. His eyes widened at what he saw next. Now standing in front of him, was Rugal from Tartaros. The green haired dimensional mage grinned while standing in from of Alexander. He then began a slow clap for him, one that no one joined as the rest of Succubus Eye watched in a mixture of fear for the Tartaros member, and confusion as to why he was clapping. "Bravo. That was a good fight, but it's obvious that you all need this year long training to even attempt to handle us."

Rugal then walked over to Minerva, lifting her over his shoulders as a portal appeared. Before walking into it, he stopped, and turned to the guild members. "Succubus Eye! With me!"

Hesitant due to fear, the members soon followed the dimensional mage in the portal, it closing behind the last one. Alexander stood in a state of confusion that didn't last long as he was reminded by the pain he was in. The war god then began walking back to the guild, only to fall over in exhaustion steps later. "Maybe...I should wait...for a bit..."

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"Requiem." Kairi clenched her fists, yet a small grin appeared on the Uriel's face as she did. Ryker continued to swing the scythe in his hands, a purple stream of poison now visible as he did so. "You sacrificed the only thing you had to compete, your speed, just to attempt a one hit with a scythe."

"It's all I need, because with this wide ranged blade, I won't miss! No matter where you go, and you know this!"

Kairi continued to grin, and in her right fist, she began to concentrate what seemed like all of her magic into it. "If that's how you want to play, then I'll finish this fight right here."

"Over my dead body!"

"I was thinking the same."

Ryker let out a yell as he charged Kairi. She didn't move from her spot. Instead, she reared her arm back, waiting patiently as the assassin continued forward. "Die!" Ryker yelled as he swung his scythe forward. As he did, Kairi thrusted her palm outward as she slid forward. "Cosmic...explosion!" A much greater than last time beam of gold and silver fired from her hands, and fight before the scythe could reach her, the beam rips through Ryker's chest and out his back, immediately pushing him backwards. In the midst of his fall backwards, a loud clanging sound was heard, signifying that the assassin dropped the weapon that reverted back to the claymore sword. Ryker then hit the ground, lifeless. With all of her magic depleted from the last attack, Kairi now stood in her normal form, barely able to stand from the lightheadedness; the loss of magic so rapidly getting to her. Still, she walked over to the sword and picked it up. The sword began to glow, and in the next second, it shifted back into it's brown lacrima. Kairi gripped it in her hands, smiling just a bit as she began walking out of the wasteland that used to be Oshibana. "This was the best I could do Skye. I hope it was enough.."

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"You really think you can disobey my strings Ry!? What makes you think that you have the strength!? I'll submerge your own mind into non existence! You'll be my slave until I feel like killing you! Now...feel the wrath of one thousand piercing strings inside your body. Each one not only causing pain, but taking control of every nerve!"

Kemuri slammed his hand into the ground once more, and however many strings was left in his magic power were seen shooting out, firing towards Rylo. The magician was already slowly slipping from himself, so moving was out if the question. Then it happened. One by one, the strings pierced into his body. Though his features couldn't show it, Rylo felt each one, from shoulders to feet the strings ran through him, not only piercing, but wrapping around each nerve, joint, and bone. Kemuri then tested his manipulation, flexing his thumb. The movement of his thumb caused Rylo to quickly bow down to a knee. The bloody mess of a magician stared at the ground unwillingly as Kemuri began laughing in victory. "I told you! There's no way you could beat me, Ry! I'm the boss mage around here!" Even Tiny watched with a grin as Kemuri continued laughing. "Well...he's not his father, but the boy is making progress." Tiny says to himself as he inhaled the contents from his cigar. He then coughed as he was the first to realize it. "Junior! Let go of him!"

"Huh? What are you talking about Tiny?" Kemuri asked as he turned his head to face him. "I got him right where I want him."

As Kemuri finished speaking, eight magic circles appeared, four around Rylo and four around the mafia mage. "What is this!?" Kemuri looked around in confusion. He then turned back to the magician, who was once again moving on his own. He struggled, but Rylo raised his right arm. A grin then formed on his face as he snapped his fingers. Following the snap, two grey clouds covered them both. Once they disappeared, not only did Rylo and Kemuri change places, but it was Rylo now lit well pulling the strings that Kemuri was now connected to. Once Kemuri realized where he was, the pain of his own magic came into him at once. His eyes widened as he began to gasp for air, falling to his knees as he clutched his chest. He pulled his hand back, noticing the running crimson on his palms. "You...you tricked me...You planned this the whole time. Tiny!"

"Too late!" Rylo yelled, and then yanked his arm back, causing Kemuri to come flying towards him like a weightless puppet. With his free hand he clenched a fist and reared it back as far as he could. He then swung it forward, the fist crashing into Kemuri's incoming jaw with no remorse. The blow by itself caused a shock wave from impact; breaking the ground from under them. Rylo placed everything he had into the punch, and Kemuri instantly blanked out, falling to the ground with no movement. The exhausted and bloodied Rylo then slowly turned to Tiny, panting heavily. "Now...it's your turn..." He said, but he couldn't follow up, as Rylo fell to his back, also blacking out. Tiny watched, and then smirked. He then walked over and lifted Kemuri over his shoulders. "I won't have any fun killing you at that state. Plus I'm sure junior wants the privilege. We'll be seeing you, Yutaka."

With that, Tiny walked off, leaving the unconscious Rylo where he laid.

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"That's very well spoken, Evanee." Sidney says as he grips the scarf that covered his mouth. The original White Eclipse members all stood with wide eyes. "He isn't..!"

"Oh he is..."

Sidney then spoke to the nymph again. "But you should know, that fights against me aren't won by declarations or promises. They're won by strength, speed, and a bit of luck."

After he finished speaking, Sidney pulled down his long flowing red scarf from his mouth, exposing his mouth. He then bared his teeth; his inward, jagged teeth. He then slowly opened his mouth, a magic seal creating and expanding as he did, until his mouth couldn't open any wider. In the next second, a clear dome was now visible as an inhaling sound was heard coming from the ghost mage. Evanee was inside the dome, and instantly, she could feel her magic power actually leaving her body this time. On top of that, leftover magic particles from the techniques that were recently used also became visible, and flew towards Sidney's mouth. The more he inhaled, the more defined the once skinny mage became, bulking up slowly but surely, and adding to his already immense strength. To make it worse, Evanee felt herself become weaker. She knew it had something to do with the radius of his inhaling. She made her way out the visible dome, but the damage was done. She fell to a knee once she escaped, slowly panting as she struggled to keep herself up. "As long as he can't reach me...I'll be fine-"

Her eyes widened again, and she once more found herself inside the dome. Sidney had taken a few steps forward, placing Evanee back in range once more. "He's just gonna follow me...I can't let this happen." She continued wincing, but she made her way to her feet. "I won't!"

Evanee then ran towards the ghost mage, a full sprint with what she had left. Sidney watched her, and began to speak inside his thoughts. "Sometimes, things don't end the way you want them to."

A loud bang was heard, and with another view, Evanee was face down in the snow...passed out.

"Aw man..." Reve said. "He didn't even get to fire it."

Everyone who wasn't an original then turned to the gunslinger. "You're saying there's more to that!?" Aira asked in shock. Reve simply nodded. "We would of had to evacuate anyways. That technique, it steals magic from anywhere inside the dome, that includes the left over particles of magic that is just floating around. It makes him even stronger than he is at one hundred percent. Once he's satisfied, he then releases the stored up magic in one devastating blast. Sidney isn't someone to mess with."

"Whoa..." Luke blinked a couple of times. "So that, and the Eclipse tower.."

Sidney then walked by the spectators, stopping momentarily as he fixed his scarf. "When she awakes, tell her I said, good fight."

"I should go help her." Aira says as she prepares to move. Reve then placed a hand in her way. "You know the rules Aira. She has to get up herself, then she can seek your medical attention."

"We are harsh sometimes." Kuro says as everyone begins to file inside the guild.

"That's life Kuro, in one year, we'll be up against worse. Excuse me, six months."

"Tell us the secret!" The guild yelled in unison. Reve then began laughing as he closed he door behind him, leaving the nymph in the snow.

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His eyes fluttered open. Once he was awake, he sat up quickly, looking around the infirmary. He realized he was home, back at the guild known as Twilight Zone. "How...did I get here?"

"Well, everyone came back home, and you didn't, so we went to go look for you. You were in pretty bad condition."

Rylo looked over to see who was talking. It was Kairi, who had just walked in, in front of everyone else. "Glad to see you're awake, shorty." Ceaser says as he entered last. "Evanee was worried sick about-"

Ceaser's head comically went through the floor board due to a punch to the back of the head by the ace. Rylo simply smiled at the action as Evanee turned away slightly in a bit of embarrassment. "G..glad you're okay, Rylo."

"Come on! Ceaser says as he pushes Evanee forward. "Show him some real love, shorty!"

Quickly following his action, Ceaser found his head in the floor boards once again. Rylo laughed at the actions. "So did everyone win?"

Kairi gave a thumbs up, and then showed him the lacrima. "I got my sister's magic back."

Alexander then nodded. "I beat my teacher, that's all I wanted."

"Kemuri is no longer a burden for me either!" Rylo then turned to the nymph. "And I'm sure that you won as well, right!?"

Evanee gave Rylo a small smile. "I got exactly what I wanted. Sidney now respects me as an ace."

Rylo smiled to the discreetly vague answer. "Alright! Well lets make this year a hard earned one yeah!?"

Everyone nodded in agreement as Rylo spoke again. "Twilight Zone will be this era's heroes!"

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On the lone island where the stronghold was located, Siegrain finally arrived, in handcuffs as he was escorted by a few guards. His head was lowered as he walked forward, his blue hair covering his eyes as he moved in silence. The guard in front of him was the first to stop, causing the other three surrounding the ex-chairman to come to a halt as well. All three of them trembled in disbelief, staring at the carnage in front of them. This caused Siegrain to look up as well, and as he did, a small smirk etched upon his face. What they stared at, was nothing but rubble; the destruction of the stronghold in it's entirety. The bodies of the guards that were patrolling the area laid everywhere. No one could speak at the sight in front of them. No one except Seigrain. His grin slightly grew as he raised his head to the sky, as if who he was talking to was just above him.

"So what are you up to this time...

Daityas."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Return of the Old and New. (Filler)

They randomly laid out across the front steps of White Eclipse, exhausted all over their features. Groans of pain came from each of them as a few mages slowly moved their sore bodies around, only inches before giving up.

"I quit, let the world end." Almaz says, comically groaning. The other newer recruits all groaned in agreement. "The stars said nothing about Sidney's training regimen. This is way worse then what Reve put us through." Saeko says as she tries to pull herself up, yet unable to. "We should of been like the others." Clover says as he gives a feeble attempt to massage his own shoulder. "We should of taken really hard jobs instead."

"But, we haven't seen those guys since though, and it's been a while now. Or has it? Everything happened so fast, with the bounty on our heads, to trying to save Skye, beating Seigrain and the corrupted council...I don't even remember how long it's been."

The new recruits groaned in agreement to Almaz once again. Just then, Takeru steps outside with Reve. He then stood at the edge of the steps with the gunslinger, unintentionally garnering the attention of the newer mages as he pointed out to the distance. Reve focused in, using his precision eyes to get a better view. "Man, they all look a mess. I can't believe they finished so quickly though."

"Hey Reve, sir!" Almaz hopped up, now standing next to the gunslinger. "Who are you looking at?"

Reve then placed his hand on top of Alamz's head, turning it to the horizon. "The others are back."

"No way! We were just talking about them!"

He focused in as well. "Yeah they are! I can see Draco already!"

They waited until the became clear. Leading the pack, the one Almaz already pointed out, was a red-clay skinned male with white hair. Like the others, his clothes were torn. He then turned to the male beside him, who had black hair, and dragon slayer like teeth. "Voltaire.. Don't forget you owe me a hundred jewel."

Volt raised his hands over his head. "Yeah yeah, I know Draco. You'll get it when we get inside."

To the other side of Draco, was another male, who had dirty blonde hair and slayer like teeth as well. He walked with a smile that the male behind him noticed. That male had long black hair, his complexion almost one of a females. "Hey, Noel." The male called out to the blonde in front of him. "You seem excited. Happy to get home to Nami?"

"You know it, Nitaru!" Noel said with no hesitation, marching along while humming.

"Well, at least he's honest." Nitaru replied.

"Don't be jealous, Nitaru." The brown haired male behind Voltaire says, making his presence known.

"I'm not, Hunter." Nitaru responded. Hunter then slumped over with a river of tears comically falling from his eyes. "Good because I am!"

Finally, they arrived. Draco held up the flyer to the faces of Reve and Tak, showing it stamped, signifying that it's been completed. "Never...again." Draco says as Reve takes the paper. The gunslinger laughed. "Well, I'm sure you heard everything that's been happening right?"

"We've heard rumors." Nitaru says as Noel walks past everyone and inside. Once in the guild, he dropped his bags, standing feet away behind a unsuspecting Nami. Taya caught glimpse of him first, and then tapped the light mage on the shoulder. Nami looked up at her sister in confusion. It was when Taya pointed towards Nami, her lips spread into a smile as she hopped up and ran over to Noel, jumping into him with a hug as he swung her around.

Back outside...

"So one year huh?" Draco asked.

Reve nodded. "You guys are young talent, so if you train hard for this remaining year, we will definitely be able to use your help."

Voltaire then began grinning. "Alright! Leave it to us! What a great replacement for the Grand Magic Games right! I mean, you were basically looking at the B team starters anyways, so lets do this thing!"

Reve chuckled, giving hand gestures to calm Voltaire down as Takeru began speaking. "You have a year, calm down."

"But until then!" Almaz yells as he somehow appeared on the roof, pointing to the sky.

"I will train night and day, in order to defend the world from Tartaros!"

Everyone blinked at Almaz. Clover sat up, scratching his head. "Wasn't he in pain like the rest of us?"

"Obviously not enough." Sidney says, as he suddenly appears behind Almaz and causing a chill to run down his spine. He slowly turned around to see the ace behind, now trembling in fear, before Sidney could grab him and drag him off the roof.

"No wait!

"I can explain!"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Sixth Month. Calium's Tale.

"It's been three months.."

Laxus stood in the infirmary doorway. Beside the blonde, was the snowy haired demon takeover mage, Mirajane Strauss. The lightning dragon stood there with his arms crossed as he watched the three inside. Lucy and Happy were fast asleep, head resting on Natsu's bed as the pink haired mage was still in his coma from the blow to the head he took from Daityas himself. Laxus shifted uneasily as he took in the same sight he saw for the past three months. Mirajane then turned to him, noting his concern for his guild mates. It was a rare sight for him to express it so...publicly. A soft smile appeared on the demon's face as she planted her left hand on his shoulder. "Two months and twenty nine days actually." Laxus grunted to her comment, unamused by it. "I'm not really in the mood for such a trivial banter Mira."

She continued to give her soft smile, her hand rubbing against his shoulder as she shook her head. "I wasn't trying for that, but you know Natsu. He wants to be strong, so rounding up his time in a coma would only agitate him more."

He turned to her, confused at first, but he understood what she was doing. She had Natsu's personality down perfectly, and just the thought if Laxus seeing Natsu throw a fit for being out so long caused him to smile a bit to himself as well. That smile quickly faded as he noticed Lucy shift around a bit. "She hasn't even trained yet." As if that was Laxus' concern about her. "She's been by his side everyday."

"Isn't it sweet?" Mira replied. "How she knows how important she is to this guild, and how we're going to need Lucy at her strongest, yet she's too worried about Natsu to properly train. It's the only reason why no one's yelled at her for it. Including you."

Another low grunt came from the male, followed by another shift in his stance, one that caused Mira to remove her hand as Laxus began walking out of the infirmary and the guild itself. "Where are you headed?" The platinum haired mage asked Laxus. He then pointed to an idle Raijinshū. Freed, Bickslow and then Evergreen all rose to their feet as they followed the leader out of the guild, which answered Mirajane's question. They were headed to train.

She turned back to the three sleeping Fairy Tail members once more, returning her smile to them before leaving herself to head back to her duties around the guild.

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The four girls were walking back into the main room from the underground area inside the palace. A plethora of boasting and bragging came from them as they relieved the "fight" they just came from. "It's not even fair, but they're all we have for now!" Kiora says as she flexes her right arm. "I beat the fight acid guy with just my fists. How sad is that?"

Maggie was laughing. She held her stomach as she pointed at the little girl in front of her. "Sora beat that Cosmos girl the same way. How does this little bugger beat someone up like that with no magic. I can't handle it!" Maggie continued her laughter as Ruika walked along calmly, arms crossed over her chest. "It's already getting boring."

Kiora then turned to Ruika. "You're just saying that because you wouldn't fight. The princess over here didn't want to fight without her spirits."

"There's no need." Ruika retaliated. "Why should a lift a finger when I have someone to do it for me?"

"Spoken like a true brat." Maggie says. A few seconds later, the four girls turn the corner, back into the main room and were immediately startled by the Tartaros boys who now stood there. They all jumped in unison, now taking random positions as they all clutched their chest, panting. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Maggie yelled towards Daityas and the others.

"Where have y'all been?" The demon slayer asked. This question caused a moment of awkward silence as they looked towards each other. Kiora then quickly answered. "Just exploring the palace!" She replied while rubbing the back of her head, laughing nervously.

"It's been three months. You still don't know the inches to this place?" No one answered Tobais' question, just from the fact that he didn't know of the cavern under the palace, just like the others. The girls then shrugged, causing Daityas to give a skeptical look. He dismissed it however, and then walked over to the table that he seemed to be once sitting at before this situation arrived. As he sat at the table, he firmly placed his hand on a book that was placed right in front of him. "Anyways, we went back to our first castle, to see if we could recover any of Zeref's old books. Unfortunately, all but one were missing." He then held out the book, showing it to the girls. Kiora then read the front cover. "Diary? What, Zeref's diary? How's that gonna help you with anything?"

"No idea." He replied. "But look." He then opened the book and began flipping through the empty pages. "Nothing is written inside. Yet, I can feel an immense dark magic coming from this book, which means somehow, it can hold a purpose."

"Hm.." Rugal stroked his chin. "An empty diary...giving off a magic aura."

"Don't hurt yourself." Everyone turned to Arc, who was perched away from the group on top of a random marble pillar. "I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later. It's not that hard."

They all then turned their attention towards Arc completely. "You know? Well then how about tell us!?" Maggie demanded. Arc simply crossed his arms as he stared at the wall across from him. "I'm here for one reason. Telling you the secret behind Zeref's diary isn't it."

Daityas scoffed. "We'll figure it out. Until then, there was something else that I picked up in the destroyed area."

From his pocket, Daityas raised a small stone, and placed it on the table. The stone now rested beside the diary and the book of Zeref itself. "What is it?" Ruika asked. Daityas turned to her with a grin, patting the first book. "Don't know, but you know when it comes to spells and items, the answer is in this book somewhere. This also means that..."

"We finally get to read the Book of Zeref!?" Maggie asked in excitement.

"It's long overdue." Daityas replied. He teasingly cracked open the book, only to close it back. "We might as well find out about our true origins. I mean, everyone here beside Sora and Tobias have demon properties in them, and that came from more than our parents mating with one, the sickos." He laughed at his own comment. "So we might as well give this baby a good look over finally. I mean, we don't serve Zeref anymore anyways. We'll be the ones to rule now, so it's a go on my part. Everyone in agreement?"

Everyone except Arcturus gave a hearty yell in agreement. Daityas wasn't really looking for Arc's approval in the first place, so he nodded with a grin. "Good, now, lets do some reading shall we?"

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She sat at the table, books piled around her. One of the piles around the blue haired female began to slowly move up and down. Under that pile, was the iron dragon slayer. On top of that pile, the black exceed, Lily, stood with his arms crossed as he continued to quietly count out the reps of push-ups that Gajeel went through. Still, back at the table, Levy continued to read and write, searching for what seemed to be the answers to everyone's problem. As she continued, Erza and the guild master, Makarov approached her. The man then cleared his throat once, remembering how focused Levy could become when she was researching.

"I hear you master." She replied, not taking her eyes off her task. Her eyes were buried within the rapidly turning pages, and her writing hand moving just as fast. "Any luck?" He asked her. Levy didn't answer for a few seconds. She then finally placed her pencil down and took off her glasses. She let out a sigh as she closed and then opened her eyes to give them a quick break. Levy then shook her head. "Its as if all of Zeref's work has disappeared from existence. The only thing I could find any, and all information on, was his diary."

"Diary? He kept one of those?" The scarlet haired one asked. Levy shook her head again. "The pages in the book are told to be blank, but it does hold a purpose." She then began flipping through her notes, finally handing a piece of paper to the guild master. Erza leaned in as well as Levy spoke again. "It took a lot of rough translating, but it's said that whatever you write in the diary, that's already happened, history will repeat itself. I'm guessing it has the power to revive people, like..."

"Like Zeref." Makarov says as he grips the paper tighter.

"But Zeref isn't even dead, is he?" Erza asked.

"He's not." Levy replied. "He's immortal, but he goes into long hibernations. Eras pass by before he's even a threat again, and Natsu and the others saved this era. But with this diary, if Tartaros has it and figures how to use it, then we'll be in a world of trouble, again."

"Hn..." Makarov placed the paper back on the table. Levy grabbed it and then shuffled it back into the pile. "I'll inform the other guilds. You keep working hard Levy."

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"Okay Reve! We are halfway there! Can you at least tell us the surprise that's coming in three months!?" Almaz was next to the gunslinger, practically begging to hear the secret the he continued to boast about. Reve stood with a smug expression and even though they knew he wasn't going to share, everyone who wasn't Reve, Kuro, Jack, Waiston, Zalen and Sidney gathered around quietly in case of the miracle happening. Yet, he shook his head. "Just keep training Almaz, and you'll see three months from now.

"Stop talking about it and maybe they won't badger you." Sidney said as he made his appearance known. His sudden appearance and ominous aura never wore off on his guild mates, and they all stepped away from their ace. Reve on the other hand turned to him with a smirk, and then a snarky response. "Oi, Sidney. Didn't think you'd recover so fast from that fight with the Twilight Zone ace. Now that everyone here knows your trump card, it's kinda hard to be entirely intimidating. In fact, that scarf around your mouth is practically useless."

"Speak for yourself." Luke says walking by. He then walked out of the guild and down the snowy trail to meet up with his new found training partner. Back inside, Sidney, like always, wasn't phased by the gunslinger's taunt. Instead, he replied. "It's unfortunate that it came down to such a move, which only means I have a ways to go to truly be dominant. But what about you? Is training for today over already?"

"We decided to take a light day."

"A light day huh? I didn't see Fairy Tail or the other guilds take one yet. But sure, take a light day..."

It was proven that it didn't take much to bother the gunslinger. At least, not much for Sidney. He deemed that his job was done, and the ace disappeared from the room, leaving everyone in the silence they stood in when he does appeared. After a few more seconds Almaz then turned right back to Reve. "So you gonna tell us?"

Reve then walked off, back outside into the snow.

"...Please?"

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Two months have passed since then, making it the fifth month of the year long preparations.

Back at the palace in Crocus, the book of Zeref was halfway open. Everyone stood around Daityas as he held up the small stone in his hands, examining it. "The demon's core huh?" He says aloud as he continued to turn it in his hands.

Back at Fairy Tail, Levy handed Makarov more notes. "It's like a lacrima. It has to be swallowed, and once it is, whoever swallows the core now has ultimate control of the demons' every aspect, including their life. So in simpler terms, it's a double edge sword, for demons can't be controlled by anyone but Zeref. Not for long at least, no matter how strong they are. So the core is needed for such a feat. But, once swallowed, if that person dies, the demons perish as well. My theory is, that if their demons haven't ran rampant yet, it's because they have it, and more than likely, it's Daityas that swallowed it."

"Well, bottoms up." Daityas took a deep breath, and then raised the demons core over his head. He then tilted his head back and opened his mouth, dropping the small stone down his throat. Once swallowed, his body began to glow a darkened aura. He clutched his stomach, feel if the uneasiness that caused him to groan. Kiora then leaned over towards Maggie as Daityas began to fight the internal pain. "If he doesn't survive I call leader." Maggie snapped her fingers, kicking herself for not thinking to call shotgun on such a position. Finally, the unsettling stopped, and though it made him no stronger, Daityas could feel the core inside him. "Well, it's good that we took care of that before we lost control of the demons. Just in time too." Daityas pointed behind his team, and everyone turned around with shocked faces. Someone, Daityas demon of death made it's way behind them without a sound, and was about to strike the closest one down. The demon slayer grinned, the only one amused as Kiora looked up to Arc who was still perched on the marble pillar. "Hey you asshole! Why didn't you tell us!?"

"How could you not sense it?" He asked nonchalantly. Kiora and the others growled slightly at their wild card of a teammate. Daityas then turned back to the book. "Okay, we have just over half a year to finish reading this thing. Now that we figured out the demons core thing, we can go back to us, and this diary. We'll pick back up again tomorrow."

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Back at the Shaman's Haven guild, Satoshi, the guild master, stood outside, an unsettling feeling in his chest caused him to give a cautious look. He remained focused as he stared over the horizon. He remained there until Mason came running outside just to bother the man like always. Instead however, the boy stopped before he could do anything, noticing Satoshi's expression. "What's wrong Toshi?"

He slowly shook his head. "Winds of change. Since Daityas laid down his challenge, the winds have blown a certain way. Now...it seems that they're changing."

"Is that bad?" Mason asked him, now trying the impossible task of "feeling the changing winds."

"Well, it's not a good feeling. I don't understand how they could change...yet stay the same."

Mason was completely lost. If it wasn't for his childish behavior and lack of attention span, he would try to decipher. Instead, he patted Satoshi on the back, leaving a "kick me" sign as he ran off towards the horizon. He turned back to wave. "Well I hope you figure it out, but I'm going back to training!"

As Mason ran off, Satoshi watched. Once he was far away, the guild master smirked, lowering his head to where his straw hat shielded his eyes. "Like I would allow him to participate in such a thing. Ill just leave it all to Roy."

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"Why are we all outside Reve?" Almaz asked with a raised hand. He then lowered it as the last mage sat down. "And why are we on the opposite mountain?" Heather asked as well. Everyone except the original six stood in front of Reve, waiting for a response. The gunslinger returned their looks with a grin. He then looked up to the sky. From where he was standing, he could see his purpose for being out here just peering over the horizon. No one else but the originals could see it from where they stood. "Well, you've all been patient, and you've trained your asses off for the past half a year. So, it's time to tell you why I've been so confident about this month. Today, everyone, is the solar eclipse."

Skeptical looks were flashed around the team of mages. No one understood the big deal of a solar eclipse. Still, the raven haired male continued to grin. "What's about to happen, only happens twice. During a solar eclipse, and a lunar eclipse. But before I get ahead of myself, if you will all be patient. I'd like to tell you the tale, of master Calium."

"As you know, the master is very old. He's almost ninety. But around seventy or more years ago, he was the greatest fighter ever known."

"Really!?" Almaz quickly interrupts with excitement. "How many fights did he win!?"

"None." Reve replied, leaving everyone confused, and even more skeptical than before. "Don't get me wrong. He lost every fight he was in, but that wasn't because of his strength or anything. Calium didn't have any magic. He was just a fighter. He trained hard everyday, and even abandoned all he knew to continue his training. Still, with no magic within him, he continued to lose, and lose, and lose."

"Why didn't he just buy some sort of magic?" Almaz asked, interrupting again.

"Almaz save the questions." Taya told the young male. Reve laughed a bit.

"It's fine. Almaz, back then, magic wasn't as flexible. Humans had no control over what they became as mages then. Yeah you could learn magic, but they didn't have vast knowledge of that either. So anyways, Calium, the skilled fighter, continued his losing steak. His streak was so bad he eventually became famous for it. The ridicule he received was more than unbearable, but with the iron will that the old man has, he never let it truly get to him. He didn't mind being a magic-less fighter, and he knew that one day, he was going to beat a mage in a fight. But, what he didn't know, was that his life was going to drastically change soon."

"He's telling this just like how Mary used to." Kuro says with a smile. Waiston and Zalen smiled at the red head before turning back to the verbal documentary of the White Eclipse guild master.

"So one day, some mages thought it was funny to find Calium, which they did out in the plains, and taunt him out of boredom. Now, they man you know today, is nothing like the man back then. Calium had a short fuse back then when actually confronted in an hostile state. So, he immediately swung a punch at one of the five men surrounding him. Needless to say, this fight didn't end well. At the end of it, the old man was on his knees and elbows, coughing up the loose blood from his mouth. Another kick to the ribs and the five were walking off, mocking him."

Aira tightened her fists against the leg of her pants. If it was hard for anyone to hear, it was the one who was always taking care of him at his old age.

"As they walked off however, the biggest blessing, and coincidence happened. He became, fed up. At the same time, on that day, there was a solar eclipse, and the sun and moon had just combined with each other. At that time, at that exact second...a magic seal opened up under Calium. His magic had been released. Now you know when you create your first magic seal, and it's a decent size right? Normally at least. Well this one wasn't. This magic seal expanded for miles. Needless to say the the five men were caught in it as well. It was a good thing that they were in the plains and not near a city, because what happened next could of altered White Eclipse history forever."

"What happened!?" Almaz asked the second Reve paused. He was the most excitable one listening to the tale. Everyone else sat patiently, waiting for Reve to finish.

"Well, there's only one way to test what magic you have once you receive it right? Unless you learned or bought it I mean. Well anyways, With his eyes set upon the men that just jumped him, Calium raised his right hand, and just then, four towers, two of light and two of dark magic, surrounded the men. He did it so effortlessly, and now the men were in a panic. A panic...that couldn't save them, as the technique now known as the Eclipse Tower slammed into them, meeting in the middle as a swirl of light and dark magic. Once the giant explosion cleared, destroying nearly all of the plains, Calium looked around, noting that there were no bodies to be found anywhere. Within a matter of seconds, he became one of the most dangerous beings in Earthland, all because of the Eclipse that took place."

"How do you know it was the eclipse?" Jaxon asked. That caused Reve and the others behind him (except Sidney) to grin. "Well Jaxon. I could sit here and tell you how we know, or..." He stood up, and pointed to the sun. At first, everyone shielded their eyes as they looked towards the sky, a natural precaution to not ruin their eyesights. As they looked up, they realized that an eclipse was forming. "An eclipse?" Takeru questioned. Reve's story took the right amount of time, as the eclipse was now completely formed. Following that, the guild insignia's on each of them began to glow. They all looked at their tattoos in a confused yet astonished manner. Reve than spoke again, this time with the tone of the general.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the secret to White Eclipse. There's nothing in the basement, nothing in the attic. We don't have anything hidden in the mountains or buried in the snow. Our secret lies within our name and our main origin. You are a White Eclipse mage, and every eclipse, you get the luxury to experience what it truly means to be one. Feel the power surging through you. You are now an unstoppable force for the next twenty four hours. Twenty four hours should be long enough, to take down Tartaros and their demons."

"We're going to attack them now!?"

"Alone!?"

Luke and Cygnus' questions didn't go unanswered as the others stood up behind Reve. "I know it seems scary." Kuro says, now as serious as ever. "But the power you have within you right now, is more than enough to do this job."

Waiston then stood up with a cocky grin. "Trust us. We'll finish them easy. Come on, you can feel it right? Don't you feel that strength pouring through you."

Zalen then pointed towards Almaz. "Yo, Almaz."

"Huh?"

"Use your weakest technique." Zalen demanded. Not one to disobey, Almaz created a magic seal, and though the Great Tree Arc mage tried to create just a small sapling, from the ground, a giant tree sprouted from the ground and rocketed upward. The tree was nearly a hundred feet high. "Whoa! I was...!"

"Anyone else wanna give it a test run so they could believe? Or do you get the picture?"

Jaxon took Zalen's challenge, and turned away from the group. With a single spin of his index finger, he flicked forth a tornado that quickly grew in size. The now massive tornado spun so violently that the mages had to brace themselves even though it was spinning and traveling away from them. "Holy shit, Jaxon...!" Everyone looked on in amazement. Everyone but Luke. They all turned back to him as the heat in the area began to rise. Luke quickly jumped into Natsu's Lightning Flame mode. A wicked, uncharacteristic smile came across his face as he continued to power up, pushing anyone near him away. "This is what Natsu feels like!? No! This is way better than Natsu! I could beat him with a single blow like this! I could beat anyone! I'm convinced! Lets go take them out!"

"Alright, power down Luke." Reve says, grinning at the enthusiastic mage. He then turned back to the others. "Well? We could sit here and test out all of your powers, or we can go handle these guys ourselves like true White Eclipse mages."

"Without a doubt, we're all on board." Taya says as Nami fist pumps in agreement.

"Lets do it!" Aira yells, hanging an arm around Selene. "Aira...choking me."

"Alright then! We'll explain the strategy on the way! But lets move out!"

"White Eclipse!" Waiston yelled.

"Or die..." Reve whispered as he trailed behind the mages.

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She bursted through the doors. Levy immediately looked around for Makarov as she called out for him. "Master! Master are you here!"

He raised his hand. "Levy, what's the matter?"

Levy then ran to him, gaining the attention of everyone around the guild. She then handed Makarov a slip of paper, more of her notes as she caught her breath. "It's...something I found. I was looking up the eclipse to see if it had anything to do with Tartaros and Zeref. It didn't, but instead it..."

Makarov's eyes widened. Everything Reve just explained to his comrades was written down on Levy's notes. It seemed that Calium's Tale was more popular than it seemed. Popular enough to be recorded. "They wouldn't...!" The old man shuddered. "No matter how strong they've become, this won't end well for them! They can't be that powerful to stop Tartaros alone. They won't act on this...will they?

Get my coat."

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"You know, call it woman's intuition, but I'm having this weird feeling right now. Like, something bad is about to happen. Strange right?"

"Actually, I kind of feel it to Maggie."

Kiora and Maggie lounged around with the others. Tobias then turned his head towards the door. After staring a bit, he shrugged and then went back to minding how own. Everyone but Daityas was present in the room. "Man, how long does it take to bathe? Daityas is so slow with everything."

Sora giggled at Ruika's comment, but she immediately stopped as she too began to feel something off.

"I'm saying!" Kiora says. "It's one thing to take over an hour, but in the top floor of the palace? A bath is a bath."

"Didn't you fight over a bed when we got here?" Rugal asked.

"Don't be a Tobias Rugal..." Kiora replied, but as she did, that feeling she and Maggie had came back. Everyone in the room was now feeling it. "Okay." Maggie said standing up. "No one else feels weird here?"

Arc then began to chuckle, just loud enough for everyone to hear. This caused them to look up towards him. "And what is it, Arc?"

"Are you all that dense? You don't sense such powerful magic?"

"Holy balls that's magic!?" Kiora asked in astonishment. "It's too thick to be magic! That means...!"

"That's right, we have some powerful mages jumping the gun." Arc turned his blindfolded eyes towards the door. "Someone's coming, and- Shit!"

Arc quickly jumped down from the pillar he sat on. The ceiling to the first floor was just as high as the top floor itself, and the second he leaped off the marble pillar, an enormous beam shot through the palace, ruining, disintegrating the entire top area. The Tartaros mages looked on in shock.

"Daityas!" Maggie yelled in disbelief. There was no sign of their leader once the been dispersed into nothing. Arc then leaped back up to the opening of the palace. His ears perked a few time, and a heavy grin appeared on his face once the familiar voices rung through.

"That was..."

"That wasn't even the magnum..."

"It was just a burst shot from his shotgun."

Reve reloaded, and continued walking forward besides Sidney, leading the others towards the palace. He then took aim once more, and fired, this time low as the enormous beam rushed towards what was left of the palace. Before impact, a fiery figure rushed in front of the palace, taking all of the beam before it could hit. Once it cleared, Daityas was shown with his arms over his body in an "X" formation. His shirt no longer existed, and for the first time, everyone saw that Daityas too, permitted bruises and scratches on his body. This did nothing but increase the light of hope for victory everyone else had. On the Tataros side however...

"I don't know what made you fools think that this was okay, but now, you're all going to perish."

Daityas was seething. Barefoot with just pants, it was evident that he had just completed his bath when the top of the palace was completely destroyed. His flames radiated off of him, and now his comrades and their demons stood with him.

"They're a lot stronger than usual." Arc reiterated to Daityas. It seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as Daityas continued to walk forward. Sidney began walking as well, and he met the demon slayer in the middle, standing only feet away from each other. With his red scarf waving in the wind, Sidney nodded to Daityas once. He growled back, clenching his fists as they both took a few steps back. "Is this what you want?" Daityas asked the ghost mage. Sidney nodded once more.

"Sidney Castle. It's a shame to see you go so early, so I'll tell you what. If you turn back now, we will spare you."

Sidney ignored his comment. Instead, he slowly crouched, balling up a fist. He then slammed his right fist into Daityas' nose, sending him flying back into the already ruined palace. All of Tartaros watched in disbelief until he rose from the rubble once more. He held his right hand against his nose, and as he twisted it back to his right position, cracking sounds could be heard. Daityas then stared past the rest of Tartaros, directly into the white eyes of Sidney Castle. He could only respond with two words. Two words that would begin it all.

"Kill them."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Dominance, Thy Name is...

"Kill them."

His simple words rung through their ears, and immediately they took off towards the mages, right past Sidney. It was unspoken, but obvious that Daityas wants the ghost mage to himself. Arc led the pack, and just as everyone predicted, he rushed towards Takeru. Unlike Arc however, Tak didn't have a personal grudge to settle, so instead of taking him on alone, the diamond dragon slayer walked over to Tak, now standing next to him as Arc charged in. This caused Arc to try and slam on the brakes, and immediate failed attempt as he still came within melee range of the two dragon slayers. Selene threw the first punch, a right hook that Arc ducked under. His duck, however, left him open as Takeru slammed a jumping knee to his nose. Arc's head snapped back and he tumbled away. He barely caught himself, and as he regained himself, he heard inhaling. Arc barely swayed out of the way as an enormous diamond vortex went flying past him, destroying the ground in it's path. That was all it took for Arc to rip off his bandages from his eyes, his red pupils shining in bloodlust and anger as he snarled towards them both.

Rugal appeared through a portal, behind Jaxon and Waiston. He swung down a heavy haymaker, only to have his punch caught by the frozen dragon slayer. Astonished by the reflexes of Waiston, Rugal couldn't move. Even as he did snap out of his trance, he found his fist now frozen inside Waiston's grasp. "What? Why can't I break this ice!?" The green haired dimensional mage questioned. Before he could figure a way out, a green magic seal appeared before him. Jaxon then threw his hands forward, firing out a more than violent gust of wind that threw Rugal off his feet. His body went flying backwards, yet, his arm was still firmly connected to Waiston's, and immediately Rugal could feel his arm pull out of socket in such a painful manner. Noticing the agonizing look on is face, Waiston released him, and Rugal tumbled into the streets of Crocus with no control. He held his arm in pain as he laid there grimacing and groaning. The two mages exchanged high fives, giddy over how quickly they put Rugal out of commission.

Aira looked towards the sky and smiled a determined smile. She watched carefully as the demon of the sky was in flight. She continued to watch as the demon circled around her from the air like a hawk stalking it's prey. After about the fourth time, the demon swooped down, dive bombing straight for the wind mage. She crouched in a defensive position, and at the last second, Aira jumped right over the swooping demon. As it rose back into the air, it looked around for its prey only to come up empty with it's search. It could no longer see her because, Aira was now perched on it's back. She then jumped again, the shift in weight causing the demon to notice, but it was too late for the creature. "Great Cross Slash." She called out her attack, and suddenly, with a powerful gust of wind, Aira now appeared under the demon in a blink of an eye. An giant X formation was left on the demon's back as it plummeted to the ground. It crash landed violently into a few buildings as Aira gave a thumbs up to her guild as she too descended to the ground. "One down!"

"Pathetic. Orion will handle all of this." Ruika began to lift her key from her pouch, but before she could completely raise it, someone grabbed her wrist, now with a grip tight enough to cause her to drop the key. She turned to see Nami holding her wrist, and grimaced in pain as she tightened it. Nami raised a leg, and immediately, Ruika's eyes widened. Before Nami could stomp down on it, Ruika kicked her key out of reach. Nami laughed as a result. "You can't fight without them anyways, can you?"

"Ruika narrowed her eyes, trying to ignore the sudden enhanced strength of Namiyaka. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

"I assume I got the weakest Tartaros mage."

Her comment caused Ruika to growl in anger, her brows furrowing as much as they could. Still, Ruika couldn't make it to her key pouch. "You got it all wrong.."

"Well I'm not letting you stick around to find out." Nami says with a sly grin. She then created a magic circle under Ruika, and moved out the way just in time as a tower of light magic shot up from the ground and into the sky. As the tower ascended, Ruika did the same as she let out an agonizing shrill. Once the tower was dispersed, Nami watched as Ruika fell. The light mage then raised her hand, and another magic seal appeared above Ruika. Just then, a plethora of bullet shaped beams of light rained down on the seemingly unconscious Ruika, drilling her through a building as the light bullets began destroying the building as well.

The demon of death against Zalen. What seemed like a complete mismatch, even with the eclipse boost, was actually the perfect advantage for the architect. "I've done some research on death properties. You can't touch it without consequences. So that's why I'm your opponent."

As Zalen finished speaking, he quickly wrapped his hands in iron, all the way up to his elbows. His feet did the same up to his knees. "So I'll let my magic do the touching!"

The demon fires a black beam towards the building mage. Zalen quickly brought forth an iron wall. The beam slammed into the wall and after all was said and done, the iron wall held up just fine as Zalen sprinted around it. He charged the demon head on, and at the last second, he rolled away from a downward punch from the demon. Usually, the iron wrapped around him would slow Zalen down, but of course today was different as his vertical too was unaffected. Mid-air, Zalen threw a hard right kick. The demon raised it's opposing arm to block the incoming blow. Bad idea from the mindless demon as a loud crack could be heard, and it wasn't from the iron breaking. The demon shielded itself from a full powered swing coated with the Eclipse boosted magic. It's arm, was now slightly shattered. The iron? Perfectly fine. The broken arm didn't matter much, only that the demon's arm was now completely red, but that did nothing as it wasn't a fatal spot. Zalen was just simply having fun, but he remembered what Leon said about the demons. How the more damage they accumulate in a certain area, the more red that spot becomes. The architect then turned it's attention to important spots on the demon. His eyes shifted from it's head, to it's neck, to it's chest. "That's where I'll hit it." Zalen mumbles to himself. He then adopted an emotionless visage, one that resembled his own older brother's, Sidney Castle. "Well then, lets get to it."

"Okay Sora, hunny, time to even the playing field."

"Shut up Tobias." Sora replied with an annoyed look upon her face. She then simply flipped two fingers upward.

From that, the shadows of the mages began to rise from the ground, becoming their own person. They all stood behind their preoccupied mages, already ready to go in for the kill. Sora stood there with a childish smile on her face as she gave the command with the snap of her fingers. "Die." The shadow puppeteer recited. Before they could attack however, an inhaling noise was being heard, and the shadow puppets were continuously being pulled back towards the sound. It was Takeru, the shadow dragon slayer. His lungs were expanded, and they were reaching a broader radius than normal. One by one he swallowed the shadows, leaving Sora's plan a dud. Once he swallowed the last shadow, he wiped his mouth and winked towards Sora and Tobias, then turned back to Arc, who was actually preoccupied by Selene.

The stone demon charged full speed towards an amused gunslinger. Reve ran his right hand through his hair just before requipping what aeemed like a normal pistol in that same hand. He twirled it a few times before lazily taking aim at the incoming demon. Reve then fired. What was normally a small magic bullet now was a strong beam of magic that slammed right into the stone protected shoulder of his target. On impact, the stone that covered it's skin flew off violently, shoulder now exposed as the demon stumbled backwards from the shot. Reve fired three more times, one to the other shoulder and the other two to the knees. Still, the demon ran forward once it recovered from the bullets strength. Once in melee range, the demon swung it's fist down, crushing the ground where Reve used to stand as the gunslinger easily dodged the incoming attack with his speed. The demon stood back up, and once it did, another pistol's bullet slammed into, and through, the side of the demon's right knee. With the beam tearing through completely, the demon fell over, it's one leg unable to support it on it's own. Now down on its good knee, the demon slowly looks up to see Reve slowly walking towards the being. The gunslinger grinned as he cocked his celestial gun. "To think, you things actually gave White Eclipse some issues."

She watched everything unfold. It was enough for her to realize that they stood no chance. But how, she wondered. She knew that no training could make them this strong in such a short amount of time. Still, no one could piece together why White Eclipse was easily dominating them. Taya allowed Maggie to watch the domination behind her progress until she felt satisfied at the lava mage's expression. "Maggie..? Are you...are you afraid?" The tone in Taya's voice was more than sarcastic, feigning concern for her former comrade. Maggie began to growl, slightly shaking as she stood in front of the female she hated most. "...So how strong are you now?"

"I'm glad you asked." Taya replied as hundreds of dark vectors began to slowly rise from the ground. They immediately surrounded Maggie, and her eyes widened as a result. The dark vector mage grinned as a Maggie continued to hopelessly search for an exit. It was to no avail. Finally, at such an incredible pace, the dark vectors swarmed Maggie. She was only able to dodge the first as the other vectors violently slammed into her, throwing the Lethal Eruption every which way. Once it was all said and done, the last vector hurled Maggie into the air and suspended her there. Showing off, Taya then gave her a thumbs down, and following, the vector quickly descended, slamming Maggie back into the ground. She now laid in a crater created by her own body from the impact. Taya walked over to the edge, grinning towards her as she crossed her arms. "Shame, it seems you gave us too much time to train."

"No...that can't be it..."

Heather kept an unamused visage as Kiora swung her scythe at the poison dragon slayer repeatedly. Each swing missed the elusive Heather, the White Eclipse mage continuously hopping or sliding backwards to avoid any contact. "Stand still you!" Kiora yelled as she raised her scythe over her head. She then swung it downward, but Heater easily slid around it. With Kiora now open, Heather crouched a bit as she reared her right fist back. Her poison dragon magic then began to cover her fist in abundance. "Hard fist, of the Poison Dragon!" Heather fired, and slammed the fist right into Kiora's abdomen. Kiora then went soaring, finally crashing into the ground a plethora of yards away. Once the Fatal Embodiment finally made her way to her feet after her struggle, she then began to laugh just slightly. "It's a good thing I'm too strong for poison."

The second she finished her statement, she felt a sharp pain where Heather struck her. Her eyes then widened as she noticed the poison glued to her abdomen. Kiora clutched her stomach as she looked back towards Heather, who was now slowly walking towards her. "B-bitch... I'll wreck you. I'm not like the others?"

"Oh?" A slight grin began to appear on Heather's face. "It's a shame you won't be able to show me."

As the one sided fights continued, Sidney continued to stand in the middle as Daityas walked towards him. He continued to dust himself off from the rubble he acquired. Daityas then wiped his nose, ridding the blood that appeared from Sidney's strike. "Tell me Sidney. Why today? Did you all just decide that your training to beat us was complete? Was your progression speed really that fast? Did you all just come to an agreement that you were now ready to take on Tartaros?"

Sidney didn't answer a single question, instead he continued waiting for Daityas to step into melee range so their fight would began. Sidney also noticed that with each step Daityas took, his pace would decrease in speed. "Or...is there something else behind this? You can spill it, Castle. What kind of temporary power up did you clowns receive? This world is vast with magic and I'm not convinced that you and your pathetic lot of mages made such improvements alone. So what is it?"

Daityas stopped walking, grinning towards Sidney. He believed himself to be right, and now waited on a reply. He got one, but not the one he was looking for as Sidney began to speak. "That first punch was a declaration of war. Now that our fight is in potential of starting, as a White Eclipse mage, it's tradition to allow the weaker mage to go first. So if you will, Daityas."

Visibly, Daityas was so calm that you could tell that he was actually boiling inside. Sidney had the nerve to not only ignore his questions without any sign of cautiousness, but then had the nerve to spat out his guild bullshit!? His right fist clenched, and immediately Daityas took off towards Sidney. Sidney quickly slid into a defensive stance, but Daityas came to a stop once again as his eyes widened in revelation. It came to him. High in the sky right behind Sidney, was his answer. "The Eclipse.."

Sidney slightly flinched, only noticeable to Daityas but it was enough for him to confirm his suspicions. "How dumb am I? White Eclipse, what else would it be?"

Daityas grinned. That grin quickly formed into a wicked smile. "Your power is coming from the light of that eclipse isn't it?"

"Even if it is, there's no way to stop it?"

"That's where I beg to differ, Sidney." Daityas then quickly turned to Maggie's direction. "Maggie! Give it everything you got! Ash Fall into the air! Cover this entire area in volcanic ash!"

Maggie had just made her way to her feet when Daityas relayed her orders. "Huh? Why?"

"Do you want to fucking live!? Just do it!"

Sidney then turned as well. "Taya!"

"Right!" Taya understood, but before she could attack her, she was distracted by Tobias as the mage rushed in swinging a right fist. Taya was able to avoid it, and slam a hard kick into his stomach. Tobias went rolling out of the way, but he also bought Maggie enough time as she inhaled the air around her, expanding her lungs to her absolute limit. "Ash Fall..." She then released the ashes into the air, and in seconds time, the thick ashes covered the sky completely, leaving everything under it in a near pitch black darkness. "What's going on?" Waiston asked as he and Jaxon turned to the others. Takeru and Selene also stopped as well as Arc as he looked to the sky. Suddenly, every White Eclipse mage felt a shift in their magic power. The overflowing power they once had was quickly leaving them. Sidney then yelled for Jaxon. "Jaxon! Clear the ashes from the sky! The Eclipse light can't get through!"

"On it!"

Jaxon created a magic circle in the sky. The green haired weather mage then raised his hands upward, but before he could do anymore, he suddenly fell to the ground, eyes completely white. Standing behind him, was Kiora with both of her hands entangled together into one fist. The Fatal Embodiment had struck Jaxon in the back of the head, instantly knocking him out. Waiston watched the entire thing in shock, unable to react in time to save his friend as Kiora's cocky demeanor once more resurfaced. Ignoring Waiston, she then turned back to Heather. "You..."

"We're not done yet! Aira!"

On Reve's command, Aira immediately took to the sky, preparing to use her wind magic to push the ashes out the way. She stopped just short of the clouds of ashes, and once she did, she began to summon her magic. Just like Jaxon, Aira was interrupted. A giant vortex of Sky properties hurled towards Aira, knocking her out the air violently. Taking flight once again was the demon of the sky and as Aira plummeted to the ground, the sky demon was in pursuit, diving towards the helpless Aira.

"Aira!" Selene yelled, but it was too late as the demon grabbed her, palming her face and causing them both to pick up speed as they descended to the ground. Then came the crash as the back of Aira's head lead the creation of the crater she now laid in.

Daityas continued laughing now that the favors shifted back towards Tartaros. "And I didn't even lift a finger! Not yet anyways. You thought you all could fool me? Over soon weak legend that your guild lives upon? Guilds are jokes! You don't have anything on Tartaros, that's why we gave you all a year! To make it somewhat exciting! But you had to jump the gun. Shame on you Sidney Castle. I thought you were a better leader than this."

Sidney immediately charged Daityas, swinging relentlessly. Instead of dodging, the king of hell began to easily swat them away as he continued laughing. He finally did evade a right hook from the ghost mage, and slammed a uppercut to Sidney's sternum. Sidney then hunched over, fading in and out from the explosive punch. "It's a shame. Even with the eclipse it seems that you had a limit. Either that, or you're succumbing to fear...Sidney."

"Tch." His only response as Sidney swung a hard right kick. Another miss as Daityas ducked it. This time, with his Hells Flames gathering around his right fist, Daityas slammed his punch against Sidney's jaw. The ghost mage went flying well over a hundred meters before crashing into the ground. "Sidney!" Zalen called out to his brother and began running towards him. Before he could reach him, the demon he was once fighting quickly cut him off, now towering over the mage. That confidence that was once brewing inside Zalen quickly disappeared, and the building mage now shook in fear at his potential killer. "I..."

"Stand down."

The next set of orders shocked everyone, Tartaros and White Eclipse alike. Daityas walked over to Sidney and crouched down to his level. He then grinned towards the male who was trying to push himself off the ground from the last blow he suffered. "Six months away right? Can you idiots wait until then this time?"

Sidney didn't answer, still too busy trying to force himself off the ground. Daityas then grabbed him by the top of his ghostly white hair. "There's nothing you can do, Castle. No power up or anything can save you from us. We own all of you legal mages. You have six months to train, even though it's as futile as this feeble attempt to beat us today was. Take your comrades, and go home, remembering that even with your Master's legend, you couldn't hold a candle to Tartaros. It's so sad, but maybe one day I'll be able to actually use some of my strength against you clowns. I thought you would be the one, but you're no where near what I thought you would be."

Daityas then released his grip on Sidney's head, letting him fall back to the ground face first. The King of Hell then rose back to his feet, and began walking back to the broken palace. "Tartaros, we're done here. They'll be leaving now."

The others looked around at each other, and then headed back with Daityas. Maggie then turned back to Taya, giving her a death stare before heading back with the others. As for White Eclipse, nothing but a shower of hopeless expressions came over the mages as they all sat there in defeat.

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.

"So let me get this straight. You boys went out and thought you could beat Tartaros by yourself, just because of some power up that you received from an eclipse!? Boy if that ain't the dumbest shit these two ears have ever heard I declare."

Master Mac of Aurora Pistola bean pacing the floor, trying to keep his nerves under wraps as the other guilds surrounded White Eclipse. It was late when they arrived back at the guild, and everyone was already waiting for them at home. With the eclipse splitting apart, they were once again normal mages. "It's a shame such a legacy went to waste." Satoshi, master of Shaman's Haven said, adding in his two cents. "Calium is a legend, and you were all still beaten."

"Not really beaten.." Waiston added. He was going to continue, but Sidney's hand motion towards him caused him to stop.

"Beaten." Mac reiterated. He then turned to Reve. "Pathetic scoundrels I swear. You all could of died, putting us at that much more of a disadvantage. What then!?"

"What's it to ya?" Reve replied, only because he could feel Mac staring at him. "Our existence isn't the deciding factor to you, is it Mac?"

"What you say, boy?" Mac demanded questioning-ly. Reve then stood up, facing the other gunslinger. "Stop calling me boy, it's insulting. And you heard me. Us being alive has nothing to do with you right? As long as you survive what's going on!?"

"Always the hot head." Erza whispered as the rest of Fairy Tail watched the situation unfolded. Mac's glare became threatening. "If you feel that way...BOY... then do something about it."

Reve's fingers began to slowly wiggle. Seconds later, he requipped and drew his pistol for Mac. At least, he tried to, but once again, before he could raise his gun past his hip, the master of Aurora Pistola held his own heavier gun directly at the face of the gunslinger. All before a blink of an eye. Sounds of shock and amazement filled the guild as Reve stood frozen, staring into the barrel of a gun. "Don't tempt me Reve. You're far below such a level."

"Alright, this is a good time to call it a day." Satoshi says to break up the tension.

"I agree." Makarov adds with a nod. "Lets just continue our training until it's time. We have half a year left."

With that, everyone began to file out of the White Eclipse guild. Mac was the last to leave, ready to walk out until.

"Train me..."

He stopped. The tall, blonde headed male then turned back to the raven haired gunslinger who's head faced the ground. "Look at me when you ask for such a request, Reve." He replied. Reve tightened his fists. "Don't make this any harder than it already is. Just do it."

With Reve's reply, Mac shrugged and then turned back to the door.

"Wait!"

He stopped again. This time when he turned around, Reve faced him, shaking just a bit. The lump in his throat a symbol of him choking, trying to swallow his pride as he asked again. "Can...you train me to be a better guns mage?"

A small smile soon etched upons Mac face. He turned once more and turned the door knob. "I'll see you tomorrow boy." His last words before exiting the guild, leaving Reve, and a shocked White Eclipse standing there.

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Lucy continued to sit there, with Happy and the unconscious Natsu Dragneel. Six months and counting was the length of his coma. Chances of him not waking up at all began to cross his guild mate's minds. Few have lost hope. Most began to waver, yet Lucy continued to sit by his side, waiting for the day he would reawaken. Happy did the same, standing on the bed he slept on. As she sat there, Cana walked in, knocking on the open door. "Lucy, Mira is locking up the guild."

"I'm staying here." She replied, keeping her sorrowful eyes on the dragon slayer. She grabbed Natsu's right hand and held it into her own. Cana couldn't do anything but watch, until she tried to find something to cheer Lucy up with. "Hey, Lucy. You're looking really thin lately. You should at least look yourself for when he wakes up. I'll tell Mira to keep the guild unlocked, but lets at least get you something to eat."

Lucy hesitated. "Can't you just bruh it here?"

Cana then grabbed her guild mates arm. "You need scenery too. Don't worry, you won't miss a thing."

Lucy blinked, and then slowly nodded once. As she stood, she looked back at Natsu. "Happy, are you coming?" She asked. Happy jumped down without saying a word, sliding his feet over towards the two girls. Cana then walks out, and Lucy begins to do the same...

Only for a hand to grab her by the arm, stopping her right in her tracks. She then turned around with widened eyes.

"!"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: We Will No Longer be Rivals.

"!"

"...Lucy..."

Her eyes were widened. Speechless, she placed her free hand over her mouth as she watched his slow, jerking movements.

"N..."

"Hey Lucy what's the hold up-"

Cana came walking back in, noting the frozen stance of both Lucy and Happy.

"Na...Natsu..." Happy called out, shaking as tears ran down his face.

Slowly, he turned to face the three, and finally gave a small smile. "Ehe... Are you going to eat without me?"

"Natsu!" She exclaimed, throwing herself at the dragon slayer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder as Happy took the opposite side, nuzzling into his partners neck. He couldn't do anything but laugh as the two showed him the affection he was missing the past six months. "How long have I been out?" He asked as he slowly pulled the affectionate Happy off of him.

"Half a year." Cana stated, leaning against the doorway. At this time, Mirajane walked in and turned to Natsu. "Natsu!? I thought I heard you! Welcome back!"

"Mira!" He exclaimed in excitement to see her. Natsu then turned back to Cana. "Half a year huh?" Natsu then quickly hopped out of the infirmary bed. "That means I have half of a year of training to catch up to the others!"

"Natsu, you shouldn't be moving so fast! You just woke up!" Lucy exclaimed. Natsu instead smiled, rotating his right arm to loosen it up. "Why not? I've been sleep for months and..." On cue a loud rumble came from The Salamander's stomach, causing him to comically hunch over. "On second thought, I'm starving, so lets get something to eat first."

A stint of laughter then left Mirajane's lips. "I've already cleaned up, but for you Natsu, I'll cook up as much as you need."

"Thanks!" He replied as Mirajane walked out. Natsu quickly followed, turning to Lucy before walking out the room. "You coming, Lucy?"

She blinked once, then smile and nodded as she stood back up and walked towards him and Happy. "Yeah!"

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She walked out of the Black Phoenix guild. Bandages wrapped around her from head to toe almost, every limb covered. Serenity, the darkness demon slayer was moble again, and she now stood in the front yard, stretching to the sky. Once she finished her stretch, she blinked a few times, and looked straight ahead to see two figures on the ground. Both of them were continuously moving up and down, but one was in a push-up position while the other sat on the figure's back, Indian style. Serenity slowly walked over to the two, her first time moving since her fight with the demon of light that she destroyed. Though she was able to move, it was obvious that she was nowhere near ready to contribute to anything. She finally made her way beside the two boys. Leon was doing push-ups, while another smaller boy sat on top of him, reading a magazine. He had black hair, and pure white eyes, as if missing pupils. Around his neck were a pair of red headphones. Leon noticed Serenity, but completely ignored her as he continued his workout. The boy however, recognized Serenity next to him and looked up. Once it registered, he placed his headphones over his ears, and placed the magazine down. He then gave her a thumbs up, as if to signal her an okay to speak, which she did. "Yoē." She called out to the boy. He looked up with a near emotionless stare. "Miss Serenity. It's good to see you moving around."

"Yeah." She replied, moving and flexing her right arm. "I still have a long way to go to recovery though." She then turned her gaze to Leon, still talking to Yoē. "And how's the worker bee over here doing?"

"Yoē sighed a heavy sigh, also turning back to Leon. "Mister Leon's been at it since Daityas laid down the challenge."

"I see. I was informed a kith that recently. Don't think I'll be able to compete though. I don't have enough time to recover for such a potentially catastrophic outcome."

"Mhm." Yoē nodded. "But I think he's more focused on fighting Natsu two months from now."

"Say what?" Yoē's words caught the Ace off guard. She then bent down towards Leon, crouching to meet his eye level that wavered due to his push-ups.

"Is this true?" She asked.

"Serenity." He said, not losing a single second of momentum as he continued on. "I'm glad to see you're better, but every second counts; so please..."

Serenity stared at the Acid Dragon Slayer for a couple of more seconds. She then ruffled his hair, Leon still not losing any momentum in the process. "Show him who's got the strongest dragon slayer then."

She then raised back to a stance, hands on her hips as she admired her guild mate. "He's never been so focused. He could be the deciding factor. I'm not gonna lie, anyone but Fairy Tail would be great for the history books."

As he continued, Leon kept a focused face. It didn't seem like he was going to tire out anytime soon, until.

In front of his face, a small butterfly flew across his face, flapping it's blue and white wings as he went by. Leon stopped in an upward posits on to watch, causing Serenity and Yoē to curiously watch him. "OO!" He exclaimed, and hopped up without warning, causing Yoē Shindō to fall off his back.

"You lost focus over a butterfly!?" Serenity comically yelled as Leon ran off happily, chasing the insect with a carefree laughter.

.

.

.

"Natsu... Do you think you should be starting so early?"

"Early? Lucy I've missed a half of year of training. Even..." Natsu looked around as if making sure a certain person was nowhere around for them to hear him. "Even Gray is probably stronger than me." He whispered.

"That's no probably, Flame Head!" Gray shouted smugly as he appeared behind Natsu with a smug expression and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu yelled back. He then lunged towards Gray, entering a comical bubble of the two fighting. The bubble didn't last long, as Natsu was on the ground with Gray standing over him with his right foot on his spine. "Too easy! You're exactly six months behind and you'll never catch me! Game over, Natsu!"

"It's...not fair..! I was in a coma!"

After watching what happened,

Lucy finally gave in and cracked a smile, followed by a laughter. Natsu turned to her. "What's so funny! I'm losing here!"

"I'm sorry! It's just! I haven't seen this in so long.." Lucy replied, wiping the wetness from her eyes. She then smiled widely once more. "I missed this."

Natsu and Gray obliviously blinked as Wendy and Erza walked out of the guild and towards them. On Erza'a back was a bunch of weights dangling off her person. "Erza!" Gray called out, still standing on top of the squirming Natsu. "You going out alone again huh?"

Erza nodded. "I've been really pushing myself, and I want to keep it that way."

"She just said we're dead weight." Wendy said with puffed out cheeks. Erza gave a small smile, and merely shook her head. "It's not that. I just have a good routine going on. I feel the improvement everyday so I want to keep it that way."

"Erza!" Natsu yelled as he leaped up from under Gray's boot. "Fight me before the year's over!"

Erza chuckled before she began walking off. "You're way behind now Natsu. I'd have a better challenge fighting Elfman or Gray."

"She just compared me to Elfman." Gray said slumping over. "Monster."

"Well, Elfman has improved a lot!" Happy yelled. He then turned to his partner. "Besides Natsu, you have to fight Leon soon!"

"Huh!? Leon?" Natsu asked, tilting his head.

"Happy!" Lucy yelled in disappointment. Natsu then turned to the blonde. "What's he talking about?"

She had no choice, so Lucy sighed. "When you were unconscious, Leon made a challenge to you that in right months he wanted you two to fight."

Lucy waited, staring at the ground to avoid Natsu look from keeping the challenge from him. Once she didn't get a response she slowly looked back up. "I know you're upset that I didn't tell yo-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she spotted Natsu yards away with a boulder strapped to his back and Happy on top. He began lunging with each step as he waved back at Lucy. "Gotta train to beat Leon and then Daityas! Can't waste time Lucy!"

"!...Idiot!"

Already away from the guild and through the forest, Erza ran with her weights. For miles she trekked, finally coming to a coast line as the sun slowly began to set. She stood at the edge of a cliff as she looked out to the ocean, then around as if she was looking for someone. Behind her, out of the trees three figures appeared. She turned accordingly to the rustling and dropped the weights off of her. She then smiled at the three. Merely was the only one to wave. Jellal simply smiled as Ultear gave an indifferent expression to Titania. "Ready to begin?" Jellal asked as he unbuttoned the cape to his attire with Ultear and Meredy following suit.

"As always." She replied.

"With only six months remaining, I feel like there's no more need to take it easy on you." Ultear added. Erza merely grinned. "By all means.." A golden light illuminated around her as she began her requip to start the three on one training.

.

.

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"Come on boy!"

"I'm trying, you old man!"

"I'm only giving you two months and we haven't even got to using your magic yet! You can't do this!? Is that what you're telling me!?"

"Chill Mac, it's only been a day!"

"Every day counts Reve! Now keep your arms over your head and don't drop them again!"

Reve and Mac stood at an disclosed location; cliffside as Reve held what looked to be a style of bazooka over his head. A master Mac signature was in his grasps, and his arms shook as he held it upward. "How long has it been?" Reve asked.

"It's been three hours, but since you're concerned with the time, we'll add two more to the five you were supposed to do!"

Reve growled to Mac's response, trying his hardest not to focus on the rising soreness in his arms. Mac them began to pace back and forth. "There's no use in firing a gun if you can't even tote one. You'll be more shit out of luck than a deer in a lion's den. Now keep em up!"

"What did I get myself into.." Reve mumbled as he followed the guild master's orders.

"Another hour that's what." Mac replied, causing Reve to huff in frustration as he arms continued to shake.

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Two more months have passed, and finally...

The two dragon slayers met up right where between Fairy Tail and Black Phoenix would be. They now stood just yards across from each other, Natsu grinning with excitement as Leon stood nearly emotionless. Their respective guilds stood behind them, waiting for the show to begin. Before it could however..

White Eclipse appeared as well, what seemed like everyone but Sidney and a few others. "Before you begin." Reve interjected. He then turned to Erza. "I have a personal challenge of my own." He then pointed to her, as if everyone already didn't know who he was staring at. "Titania. It's time. There will be no better time than now. Though I already know the answer~

It's time to find out who is better between us both."

Erza stared over towards Reve at first. She then dropped her head with a smirk. "I don't know Reve. Are you still worth the trouble? I mean, you failed with the eclipse power. What's the use?"

If she was trying to strike a nerve she succeeded, but it only came back to bite her as Reve spoke again. "I don't need an eclipse to defeat you. You're from Fairy Tail, the smell of defeat lingers on you no matter where you walk. Now fight me on behalf of the shitty place you call a guild, or are fairies actually cowards?"

"Shitty?"

"Cowards?"

Reve gained attention from more than just Erza as half of the guild turned their hostile eyes towards the gunslinger. He didn't mind it. Erza then stepped forward. "We'll move out of Natsu's and Leon's range. Then I'll show you who is shitty and who is the top guild."

Moments later they arrived away from the dragon slayers. Everyone then stared at their opponents. Both Reve and Erza drew a golden light as they started their requip.

Natsu and Leon both summoned their magic within their hands. Flames and Acid lingered in the area as Tristan Gareth raised a hand in the air. Elfman did the same for Erza and Reve. They both then spoke simultaneously as the threw their hands down.

"Begin!"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Till One of us collapses!

{Flashback via one month ago.}

"Tell me Reve. What's worse than losing to you?"

"That's easy. To me, Mac, a draw is worse than losing."

"Hm? And why is that? You didn't lose. So why is a draw worse?"

"It's one thing to lose to someone better than you. It's another to lose to someone you're clearly better than. But no one is equal and everyone knows that. So to prove that law wrong is one of the biggest sins in my book."

"And you've committed that sin right Reve."

"I have... Back at the Grand Magic Games last year. I tied.."

"With?"

"Erza Scarlet."

"Did it hurt?"

"So bad that I left the guild temporarily to find myself."

"Hm.. So a draw made you abandon your guild mates for a bit? I'll get to that later. What did you do while you went to find yourself?"

"I traveled. Of course I didn't have as much time as I wanted to myself due to Zeref attacking; but with the time I had I traveled. Saw different sites and just did a lot of thinking and reflecting."

"What did you find?"

"I found...nothing. I came back stronger physically, but I was still the same cocky, full of pride Reve that left the guild the first time. I...I guess I just couldn't find an answer about myself."

"Maybe there wasn't one, Reve."

"What are you saying Mac?"

"I'm saying, you went on this trial, this self recovering journey, all over a draw. The only thing you did wrong was fall the same time your opponent, Erza did. Maybe it's because it was Erza that you tied with that made you feel this way, knowing how much you dislike her. But your journey, though never a bad thing, was unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?"

"You know what's worse than losing to me, Reve? Winning."

"...Okay Mac. You lost me."

"When you win, you now have an obligation to yourself and your guild to keep. And that's to keep winning. Aces and guild masters know this grief since everyone looks up to them. Whether it's to be them or beat them, they have this huge target on their backs. That target is molded by whoever is aiming for them. Once you win, you're looked upon to win again, and again. Understand where I'm coming from boy?"

"...A little. So are you telling me to lose my fights?"

"Not at all. Winning is important. It makes us feel good, superior. Winning is key to high morale, wealth, power."

"And that's what makes it bad.."

"You're catching on, youngster. Losing brings knowledge. When you lose, you learn. You can't learn from a win, you can only prosper. So who's going to teach you if you're undefeated or on a win streak? That's where the hilt of the sword ends. After telling you all this, it's a shame that all I can tell you is to keep winning."

"I understand what you're saying. At first I thought this was a lecture, but I get it and I now agree. Thank you Mac."

"Yeah yeah, your time with me is up. Now show them the youth of a gunslinger, boy."

{End FlashBack}

"Begin!"

As he yelled for them to begin, Erza appeared in her flight armor and charged Reve full speed. The flight armor enhanced her speed, and with her cone shaped sword, she swung at him diagonally. She hits nothing but air as she holds her follow through. Her eyes were widened as she could feel the barrel of a gun pointed against her temple. "What speed..." She thought to herself as Reve now stood right beside her, facing the way she came with his left hand on the trigger. He squeezed, firing off endless rounds as Erza desperately dodged the point blank one and continuously slid back, zig zagging away from the rounds of magic bullets. She finally came to a stop and requiped the shield that belonged to her Adamantine armor. The shield began blocking the incoming bullets.

"Tch." Reve scoffed. He then took off full speed towards the defensive Erza. Once at a certain range, he began to sprint around her, continuously firing from his pistol. Erza tried to keep up with her heavy shield, but as time progressed she went from blocking the bullets with the middle of her shield, to barely grazing them with the edges. Knowing she would soon be hit, Erza turned her shield, and tossed it like a frisbee towards Reve's neck. The heavy assist distorted Reve's view of Erza, and the gunslinger ducked under the incoming disc. He looked forward once again, and noticed that Erza was no longer there. Instead, she was perched on her own shield. She then leaped off of it, appearing in her lightning empress armor as she aimed her weapon towards Reve. A current of lightning fired from it, and slammed into Reve's spine, causing him to fall forward. He quickly recovered in a flip, and halfway through it, he requiped a shotgun into his hands. All in that same motion, he charged and then fired a concentrated bullet that slammed into Erza's abdomen. Reve then landed on his feet, coming to a sliding halt as Erza slid back as well, holding her stance yet clenching her stomach from the blow. Reve was in pursuit as he charged another shot. He then fired the burst shot, yet Erza evaded by lunging out the way. She was now on the offensive as she rushed towards Reve while requiping. She appeared in her Robe of Yuen, long staff in hand as she twirled it within her hands. She then swung it horizontally, Reve barely ducking as strands of hair were clipped from his head. Erza continued the assault, trying to gain advantage with the close combat on Reve as she continuously swung the bladed staff horizontally and vertically. Reve continued to back away though we a left him no space to really maneuver. He bared his teeth in annoyance, but finally found and opening as he leaped over another horizontal strike from Titania. He followed with a strike of his own, aiming the back of his shot gun for Erza's skull. She quickly parried by holding up her staff, stopping him short of his intended target. Reve pushed off of Erza, and immediately she scrambled away as Reve began firing once again, aiming for the elusive red head.

"Stand still!" He exclaimed as he slid hard to his right, cutting off her path as he took aim once more. Erza came to a sliding stop, but not in time as Reve fired his concentrated shot. With no other option yet quick thinking, Erza swing her bladed staff, somehow slicing right through the beam of magic, and saving her from taking heavy damage. She managed to grin as she held the follow through. "Hmph~"

Reve returned the grin of his own, still aiming towards Erza, but waiting for her to move the slightest inch; the stare down that signified that warmups were over.

.

.

.

{Flashback}

After minutes spent chasing the butterfly, Leon walked back over to Yoē Shindō. Panting a bit, he smiled a cheerful smile as he gathered himself to speak. "Sorry! Got sidetracked!" Leon said as he placed his hands on his hips, still slowly gasping.

"Leon?" Yoē asked in reply. "Do those things really make you that happy?"

"Huh? Butterflies?" He tilted his head to ponder the question, and then smiled again. "Well, they keep my rage inside down, and that's always good!"

"That's true I guess, but what about when you have to fight Natsu? What if it doesn't go your way and you start to rage again?"

Leon chuckled a bit as he looked to the single cloud in the sky. "To be honest with you, Yoē, I wouldn't mind that actually. Natsu isn't someone who's simply beaten, and I mean that differently from some other person you would describe as such. When you think he's spent, he always has another gear. I've quietly watched him over the years, and there's been times where he should of been beaten, yet not only did he remain in the fight, he took it over; dominated it. And that, makes me ill. I get a sick feeling knowing that he can do such a thing, yet when I'm out of magic, that's it. My strength is gone and I have no way of regaining it. So it's not the rage I'm worried about. It's controlling it. That's what I've been working on."

Yoē listened in astonishment to his friend's words, nodding at the end. "You'll win, I'm sure."

"I'm not. But that makes it more exciting yeah?" He smiled once more, and patted the smaller Yoē on the head. "Come on, I know a good bread shop in town. It's the best there is."

"I doubt that." Yoē replied as he walked off with Leon away from Black Phoenix.

{End FlashBack}

"Begin!"

Neither one of them wasted time. At the drop of Tristan's voice, Natsu and Leon charged each other. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

"Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!" With fists covered in flames and acid, the two Dragon Slayers collide with their dominate fist, reaching a temporary stalemate as acid and fire dragon slaying magic violently flare out from their knuckles. Slowly but surely, Leon began to gain the edge as Natsu slowly slides back. Leon's pure strength was proving to be an increment better than Natsu's. Finally Natsu opted out of the struggle, ducking under the punch in it's entirety. This caused Leon to tilt forward, incidentally towering over the crouched Natsu who now had his cheeks puffed outward to their limit. "Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

"Acid Dragon's Swirling Corrosion!"

Simultaneously, Natsu fired off his dragon's roar, and Leon counted by filling his hands and feet with his acid slaying magic, and spinning; creating a swirl of his magic that launched forward, quickly meeting the roar head on for a draw. The close explosion sent both Dragon Slayers sliding backwards away from the cloud. Leon was the first on the move, his fist and feet still covered in his element as he swung a punch and kick combination towards Natsu. Evading at first, Natsu ended up with no option but to block the incoming right hook. Though he coated his own hands in fire, once the impact was made with both hands, he could feel the acid burn his skin; a different kind of burn as the stinging sensation quickly turned into pain. He grimaced, but still pushed Leon's fist away, leaving the Acid Dragon open once again Natsu quickly crouched and then lunged towards Leon. "Fire Dragon Wing Slash!"

Soaring right past Leon with flaming wings, the fiery attack sent the acid dragon into the air grimacing. Natsu quickly turned and crouched once more. "Sword Horn!" He yelled at the top of his lungs right before taking off into the air head first. Leon just started descending, and quickly came to as Natsu rushed towards him. "Roar..." He waited, puffing out his cheeks as he estimated when to fire. Seconds later.. "Of the Acid Dragon!" Leon fired a giant vortex of acid from his throat, coming to a direct hit against Natsu's sword horn. After the immediate struggle, Natsu was seen dive bombing unwillingly towards the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy and Lucy both called out in unison as they watched helplessly. At the last second, he opened his eyes and flipped over, landing on his feet. The landing left footprint sized craters where he stood. Natsu watched as Leon descended as well, waiting for his next move. Leon obliged as he slapped his hands together, a magic seal appearing before him as he did. "Acid Dragon's Sword!"

In his hands, a long sword manifested, made purely of hardened acid. He picked up speed while diving towards Natsu once he realized that Natsu picked up on what he had in his possession. He swung the sword, and Natsu quickly side flipped out the way. The swipe of the sword left a trail of acid in the ground, deep. Natsu slid into a crouching stance, mimicking that of a reptile. Leon stood yards away holding his acid sword in his hands. He then charged Natsu once more. Natsu met him halfway, and then leaped over the swing by Leon. Flipping himself upside down, Natsu swung a flame infused kick towards Leon's head. Leon raised his sword with both hands, blocking the incoming blow and causing Natsu to wince in pain from the Acid. "It's no use Natsu, you can touch acid without getting hurt!"

"I know that! But I had to get you open!"

Leon's eyes widened as Natsu held a giant orb of fire in his hands. "Dazzling Blaze! Of the Fire Dragon!" He thrusted the flaming orb forward, right into Leon's exposed chest. The attack sent him flying into the nearby boulder, breaking it apart as smoke and debris filled the air. Once the smoke cleared, a sword-less Leon appeared, walking out away from the crash site. He took off his now ripped robe, letting it flow into the wind until Yoē himself caught it as it fell harmlessly into his hands. "So warm ups are done?" Natsu asked with a grin as he slid into a fighting stance. Leon didn't answer. Instead, he held out his hands by his side like claws, and green liquid began to coat around his entire limbs. Fingertips to the shoulders they coated him. Natsu gave a perplexed look as Leon performed such an act.

"It's the same as your fire Natsu don't be fooled!" Lucy coached. Natsu slowly nodded, and Leon then took a step back as he relaxed his left hand. From it, a single drop of acid fell and hit the ground, creating a hole, fingertip sized. Smoke from the acid burn rose into the air as Leon have a harsh glare at his opponent. "Sure...warm ups are over."

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.

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{Flashback}

On their hands and knees, panting heavily, were Crime Sorcière. Jellal, Ultear and Meredy continued to gasp for air as Erza stood in the middle of then with both her swords pointed outwards. She then withdrew them and bowed. "I want to thank you three, for helping me get this far, especial you, Jellal."

"Sorry we can't push you any further." Meredy says as she flips over, now sitting down and still panting. Erza shook her head. "You three are the best team I know outside of Fairy Tail. Your push was more than enough I'm sure. I'll spend the remaining months on individual training."

"Well then. I'm glad we were assistance, because I don't like getting my ass kicked like this." Ultear laughed at her own statement as she pushed herself upward. "Ultear you were a huge catalyst. You all were. I feel like I could even fight Gildarts himself on an even term. I'm sure that's false since he's always traveling and training, but still. I know I'm on a different level now."

"You're going to need to be." Jellal says. "Daityas is in a class of his own. Sometimes it seems unreachable. But if anyone can do it, it's you and Fairy Tail.."

Erza nodded. "I'm going to head home. Do you need any assistance?"

Meredy gave the red head a wave. "Oh no! We been through worse!" The obvious laugh made Erza smile. She then began waking off, turning back to Jellal once more as she waved to him and the other two. "Thanks again, for everything. I'll take all that I learned and we'll save this world!"

Ultear watched her leave, then turned to Jellal. "Do you think she'll do it?"

Jellal paused, watching her leave back into the forest. "Hopefully...I have faith, but Daityas crushes such things. Faith, hope, belief. He thrives on destroying those things. So only time and reality will tell.."

{End Flashback}

Erza was on the move once again, running from the bombardment that was Reve's assualt rifle style guns. He held two, one in each hand as he fired. Still, Erza remained elusive, slowly making her way towards Reve with each evading action. Titania then requiped once more, into her Black Wing Armor and a single sword. As she flew toward Reve she deflected the bullets with her sword until close enough to attack the raven haired male. A horizontal swing; missed. Reve ducked low right under it and Erza immediately took off into the sky as Reve started firing again. After soaring around the incoming bullets she was clipped, a slew of magic hitting her right wing and shoulder. "Ah!" She cried out, stopping her ascension. She then dove towards Reve, requiping again into her flame princess armor with her flaming sword. Erza then swung the sword, causing the blade to fire off two tendrils of flames towards Reve. At the last second he was able to roll out the way. As he stood up however, it left him open as Erza slashed right past him, leaving not only a gash, but a hefty burn as well across his torso. The pain throbbed against his chest, causing him to clutch it. As Reve turned around, he blue eyes widened as Erza was already under him in her Titan's armor. She quickly slid around behind him and wrapped both hands around his waist. With no chances of dodging, Reve held on for life as Erza lifted the gunslinger over her head and then backwards, slamming Reve head first into the ground. She would then let go, and requip out of her Titan's armor, standing in her patented bandaged torso and red pants; waiting for Reve's next move. If he was able to continue that is. Reve pulled himself out of the ground, seething. "That won't happen again! You lucky shot!" He yelled as he pounded the ground. Erza raised a brow, remaining calm as Reve began to throw what seemed like a fit. A magic seal appeared under him as he yelled, but it then disappeared as it seemed nothing happened.

"What's he doing?" Zalen asked himself. He looked around, unable to see anytning. "Why waste magic like that?"

Reve slowly stood up, requiping two standard pistols in his hands. He signaled Erza to charge him, and she obliged. As she did however, a glimmering light shined behind her, and in came a piercing bullet from the sky. It slammed right through Titania's left shoulder, causing her to let out an agonizing yell before falling to the ground. Reve grinned as she fell.

"The long range Devil's Wheel of course!" Zalen watched on in astonishment. "He didn't chant for it, so it threw me off. That's Reve for ya.."

"Erza!" Elfman and the other of the half of Fairy Tail yelled in unison.

Reve then turned from Erza. "It's over. That shot pierced her shoulder. She'll need time to recover."

"Wait..."

Reve stopped, growling as Erza used her sword to push herself off the ground. "This maybe...the last time we'll get to settle things. I'm not stopping from a hole in my shoulder...! Not while you're still conscious!"

"Just lay down!" Reve yelled as he turned back around and fired his two pistols. Erza took in a deep breath, and then ran forward, deflecting the bullets that Reve fired. Almost in range, Erza this time caught glimpse of another glimmering light coming from her right and this time was able to deflect the incoming sniper bullet from the sky. Reve was now helpless, and with her dual swords, Erza slashed right through Reve, holding her follow through with closed eyes. On his chest was now an X that quickly started to spill. Reve teetered back and forth, but instead of falling, he requiped a white coat over his chest. On the back held the White Eclipse sign and the tail of the jacket fell down to his ankles. He slowly turned around, wiping the blood from his mouth. Erza did the same without any crimson leaking from her lips, but she panted all the same. "I refuse to fall." Reve stated.

"Likewise, but something's gonna have to give." Erza replied.

Reve threw both of his arms outward, a magic circle appearing under him. In the next second, a plethora of guns appeared, floating around Erza. Her eyes were widened once again, seemingly in a panic. She then covered herself as each gun simultaneously fired off their entire clip, magic bullets all slamming into a focused spot. An entire minute went by, and once it was over, Erza was seen in shatters Adamantine armor, teetering back and forth as a broken shield laid on the ground before her. She took a step forward, nearly losing her balance from the onslaught she took. Reve's grin began to grow. He panted as well however, exerting a lot of magic from the two Devil Wheels at once, and yet the log range was still active and hiding. "I'm not done...!" Erza yelled. She then switched back to her bandaged torso and two swords. As if she was never hurt, she planted her feet in the ground and then took off towards Reve at an immense speed. She began swinging a combination towards him, every other slice clipping him in the limbs and chest until Erza finally caught him across the abdomen for a heavy blow. It sliced right through his coat and brought Reve down to a single knee as he clutched his stomach. "D..dammit!"

He slowly stood up once more, and that was all Erza needed to attack again as she charged once more. Reve didn't move; not until the very last second as Erza reared back her sword. At the very last second, Reve moved his head to the side, and another incoming sniper bullet slammed into Erza side. Another agonizing yell left her throat as she fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Reve fell too just from the immense pain he was in, but at least he was sitting up. Erza rolled around on her back and opposite side, holding her wound in pain.

"Erza..!"

"Erza you don't have to continue! We know how strong you are!" Bickslow yelled. "You've always been respected Erza, you don't owe him anything!" Freed added.

"Listen to your guild mates." Reve huffed out. "Just...call me the winner and go home to your second place guild."

"Never!" Her eyes flashed open. She then once more forced herself up from the ground. "I'm tired of your slander... Tired of your constant insults upon the guild I would die for. My friends...my family.. They deserve better!"

Once she fully stood, she requiped again, now standing in her Nakagami Armor. The armor and halberd dominated the attention of the spectators around them. She then pointed her halberd towards a struggling to stand Reve. "It ends here!" She exclaimed.

He began to laugh just slightly. "It does.. All your petty family talk. It ends here. Like Takeru told Natsu that day. The final day of the games. We know what family means. Just because we don't preach doesn't mean we don't know. I'm so tired of hearing your sermons. It literally fuels me to end you." At that moment, Reve requiped his patented magnum into his hands. He then aimed it towards Erza, yet to fire. "So with these six shots, I'll end all of that."

.

.

.

Leon gave chase to Natsu. All that The Salamander could do was buy time as he leaped away from each strike. Each time Leon missed, his acid infused hands would melt anything he came in touch with. Rocks, trees, even the ground itself began to melt with each touch. This is what kept Natsu at bay and Leon in pursuit. "I have to find an opening soon.." Natsu thought to himself. Before he could go on the offensive, Leon used a burst of speed to beat him to the next spot. With no way to break in mid air, Natsu headed right for Leon unwillingly. Leon then clenched his fist tightly and reared back as far as he could. "Acid Dragon's...STEEL FIST!"

A clubbing blow from such a momentous swing. The punch landed right against Natsu's jaw. The impact sent him flying across the battlefield and into the trees, knocking them over into a pile on top of himself.

"And that's game." Yoē said aloud. The half of Fairy Tail that stayed with Natsu merely looked over towards the naive boy as he smiled. "Mister Leon always comes through."

Before Yoē could celebrate anymore, he noticed a small spark of fire amongst the fallen trees. That spark of fire then erupted into one flaming wildfire. He was confused, but as he focused his vision, he could see the lone figure standing in the dancing flames. Pure red eyes that out shined the flames themselves glared towards Leon. "Wha..."

"Fire Dragon's Crimson Lotus!"

With his arms out, he spun them counter clockwise, firing a vortex of flames that quickly rushed towards and slammed right into Leon, sending him hurling into the ground. He laid there for a while as the smoke from the burns ascended into the air. Yoē was still in shock. He thought the match was over with Leon's devastating punch.

{ When you think he's spent, he always has another gear.}

Yoē was experiencing these words first hand. He blinked once and then turned back to Leon who was slowly making his way to his feet. "I'm not surprised." Leon said as he rose. "It's always another gear, another level to you."

"Natsu grinned. "For someone who's not surprised, you do seem upset!"

"Those are two different emotions Salamander... And when I'm upset, bad things happen to my opponent. You don't want me to get...upset. Because there's no mercy..." As his words trail off, Leon closes his eyes. He then reopens them, his pupil shifting into one that resembles a dragon.

"...When I rage!"


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Rage and Closure.

The Nakagami armor vs the magnum. Reve and Erza stood off what would seem to be one last time. The calm before the storm was all but calm as the two's glares could kill a person on their own. It took nearly minutes, but finally someone made a move as Reve slowly raised his magnum to take aim. At the same time, Erza crouched, halberd at her side as she readied herself to take off towards the gunslinger.

"...One!"

At the drop of Reve's voice, Erza took off on a sprint as the gunslinger fired the massive beam from is smaller gun. She didn't avoid the blast. Instead she swung the halberd forward, breaking through the blast. Reve clenched his teeth as Erza continued ahead; shades of the Grand Magic games last year played in his mind. He took aim once again, but this time he didn't fire. Instead, e grinned as Erza quickly covered the space between them. Just above him, a twinkle in the sky appeared. Erza remembered at the very last second that Reve's Devil's Wheel long range was still activated. She raised her halberd up just in time, deflecting the bullet. However, the very second she raised her weapon, Reve pulled the trigger again. "Two!"

He fired another massive beam, this time it slamming into Titania's abdomen. The blast sent her flying backwards, eventually landing on her back. Pieces of her armor began to break apart from taking such a close ranged blow. She stuck her halberd in the ground, forcing herself up from her compromising position. It was when she made it to one knee that a nozzle now pointed right in front of her face. She started blankly as Reve gave a small hitch on the corner of his lips. "Three..."

Before the cocky gunslinger could pull the trigger however, Erza swung her weapon, the halberd slamming into his side violently. Reve hunched over to the side, and then was sent flying off to the side painfully. With his vision fading in and out, he took a risk, and fired at the blur that was Erza, his third bullet. The massive beam rushed towards her, yet she didn't move. It was off, and the giant beam rushed right by Erza's right; a wasted bullet as Reve tumbled into the ground. "Sh...shit... That wasn't smart." He said to himself as he pushed himself up. He received some unwanted help, as Erza appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Reve and slammed an upward motioned kick to his abdomen. With Reve hovering right in front of her, she spun the halberd in her hands once, and then swung in straight at him, colliding with his midsection once more. Reve went tumbling again, crashing into a nearby tree which painfully stopped his forced momentum.

"Come on Reve!" Kuro yelled.

"That's not much more he can take of that.." Mirajane said as she stood next to Elfman.

Reve tried to make it to his feet, but Erza stayed on top of him. She appeared once again over him, stomping on the gunslinger's back each time he tried to ascend. "This time, I'll make you say you quit. You won't be getting up from this spot, Reve. So either way, you're about to humiliate yourself."

Erza's words obviously annoyed him, but it seemed like there was nothing he could do. Each time he tried to get up, Erza's right foot stomped on his back, pushing him back down violently. He was practically laying in his own crater now. "Bitch..."

She stomped him for that reason, calling her out of her name. "Your disrespect knows no bounds does it?" She sneered a bit as she kept her foot pressed against his spine, pushing him further into ground with each passing second.

"Reve we won't blame you if you-"

Before Almaz could finish his sentence, Waiston covered his mouth. Almaz looked over to the dragon slayer, and Waiston shook his head no.

"What do you say Reve?" Erza asked condescendingly.

"The day...I forfeit to you...I'll kill myself.."

Reve magnum, just like his hand, was trapped under his chest. He couldn't slide it out and it seemed Erza was well aware of that. But nonetheless, he still had his finger on the trigger. "I have to risk it.." He said aloud.

"Risk what?" Erza asked, as if he was going to answer. She knew the answer herself however as if clicked a second too late.

"Four!" Reve yelled, and from the small crater he was trapped in, a massive explosion occurred from the point blank shot to the ground that Reve fired. Erza went flying off, slamming into a line of trees before once again slamming into the ground on her back. Her armor was completely shattered. Once the light and smoke from the explosion disappeared, Reve was found on the other side, as if the two were a mirror. He laid on his back as well with his magnum shattered to pieces.

"His magnum!" Almaz yelled.

"Don't worry about that thing. It repairs. What about Reve?" Jaxon questioned. Both combatants continued their stillness until Erza was the first to show signs of life.

"We should stop this! We need them both!" Evergreen yelled.

"We're beyond that, Ever." Bickslow replied as his floating dolls repeated his last two words. Though Erza was the first to move, they both slowly came to a stance at the same time. As he teetered, Reve laughed aloud. "Heh...so you're ready to give?"

Erza couldn't help but grin. "Are you serious? You're without your best weapon." Erza requiped one last time. The bandages over her chest were once again fresh as her red and yellow flame pants were renewed. She pointed one of her two swords towards Reve. "I'm taking this home, Reve!"

Reve continued to grin. He then...turned around and slid his hands into his pockets as he walked away.

"Where are you going? Do you forfeit?" Erza asked.

"I told you.." He stopped walking, and turned his head back towards her. "I'd kill myself before doing that. But, I know you don't have the ability to strike me down.."

He then turned back away from her as he gave a slight wave. "So if it's a draw, that's fine. I learned to deal with those. I'm out of magic, and you don't have the heart to finish me, because that's your guild's mantra. A shitty philosophy for a shitty guild, right Fairy Tail!?"

"Enough..." Erza murmured. She then took off towards Reve with an angered expression, breaking the ground with her takeoff. She was coming in fast, but Reve continued to walked away, his back exposed as he stared at the ground with each step he took. He stepped over a small huddle of leaves as his hair covered his eyes. "What are you doing!?" Taya yelled, calling out to him. "It's okay." He replied, the only facial feature able to be seen was a smile. "She won't be able to do it."

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.

.

"Yoē, how far in is he?"

Yoē looked over towards Tristan. He then looked back towards Leon, acid slaying magic coating his arms and legs, up to his knees. Tristan then raised his hands to the other guild members.

"What's he doing?" Lucy asked.

A collective "shh" came from the Black Phoenix members. Mathias then quietly spoke to the celestial spirit mage. "I'll explain it to you in a minute."

Lucy nodded. Yoē then turned the dial to is headphones, and though no one else could hear what he now heard, Yoē closed his eyes as he could now hear the birds in the sky far away. He could hear the grass swaying in the wind. But most importantly, he could hear a certain patterned heartbeat. Yoē kept his eyes shut, calculating. He then opened them again, and turned the dial to his headphones back down. "He's only about twenty percent in."

Tristan then dropped his hands, giving everyone the notion to speak again. Mathias then turned to Lucy. "A long time ago, before meeting us, Yoē lost his hearing in a bad accident. Ironically, the headphones he wears helps him pick up vibrations so that he can 'hear'."

"So, he still can't really hear anything?" Lucy asked, blinking a few times.

"Yes and no. Every noise has it's own unique vibration. Yoē has trained himself to decipher what vibration is what, including speech. What he 'hears' it's basically memory from when he actually had his hearing. Makes sense?"

She nodded. "So when he turned his dial and Tristan raised his hands?"

Mathias nodded once. "The more he turns that dial the more sensitive he is to vibrations, so unnecessary noises really bother him if it's too high."

"Wow..." Lucy looked over to Yoē in a fascinated sense. She then turned back to the ensuing fight as both of the slayers crouched. Leon didn't wait. Instead, he took off full speed towards Natsu, almost too much from him too keep up as he barely moved out of the way of an in coming open palm. The palm slammed into the tree behind Natsu, and snapped it in half. Where the rooted part still stood, it began to melt from where Leon touched it. Natsu's eyes widened, but his teeth bared in excitement. "This isn't Dragon Force." Natsu said to himself. "So what is it?"

Leon swung again. Natsu leaped to dodge it, but this time, Leon quickly locked on to him, and fired an acid roar without warning. Natsu covered up, but the roar pushed him higher into the air and away from Leon. Once Natsu came to, the pain in his arms kicked in from the acid. "Kch! I need to think of something fast or I'll..."

Leon watched Natsu ascend and then slowly begin to descend to the ground. He didn't wait. Leon slowly crouched to the ground, and then sprung high into the air, above Natsu. The Salamander looked up to see the Acid Dragon above him. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Beam." Leon created two balls of acid in each hands' palm. He then brought them together to create one large orb of acid. As a magic circle appeared before him, Leon pressed the now giant orb against it, causing it to shift into a beam and fire off like a cannon.

Natsu's eyes widened, and with nowhere to go, he braced himself once more; a futile effort as the beam slammed into him straight on and pushed him into the ground before exploding.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled out in horror. Leon dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. Lucy looked over towards Leon in legitimate fear. "Didn't Yoē say twenty percent!? That's twenty!? What is he!?" The celestial mage's words fell on deaf ears as they all looked around for Natsu. Nothing but broken over trees and stone could be seen. Leon waited, staring directly at a certain spot in the pile of rubble. "Get up." He whispered. His words then became a bit louder, yet still to a volume no one but Yoē could hear. "You're not done. You're never done. Lets see that next gear, Dragneel, you enigma."

On cue, a tower of flames and lightning shot into the air, blowing away all the rubble that covered Natsu. Now completely shirtless from the acid eating his upper attire completely, his scarf waved in the wind as he glared towards Leon as he stood in his Lightning Flame mode. The two exchanged glares, until they both charged each other once again.

.

.

.

"I've come to the conclusion. My guild mates were right. They told me a while ago. I had an obsession. An obsession of beating Erza. Some of them even thought I had some weird crush on her. The truth is, I can't stand to see her."

{FlashBack}

Sixteen. Reve walked back into the White Eclipse guild. Everyone was already inside, minding their own as he sat down on top of the main table. He swung his feet as he twirled his gun in his hands. Jack then walked over to him, and raised a brow. "What are you so happy about?"

Reve turned his head to Jack with a grin. "Fairy Tail started their S class exams today, and it got me thinking how I need to be one soon. Sidney stole the first one, so I'll be the second, watch."

"Yeah you said that about the first one!" Jack replied. "What's so special about Fairy Tail's exam anyways?"

"Nothing. At least not anymore. The person I root for there became one long ago."

"Laxus?" Jack asked questioningly.

"Erza." Reve replied. "She's a requip mage like me."

"Yeah but so is um...those two shooters they have."

"Alzack and Bisca? They're weak. To be strong you have to see strong." Reve stated. Jack gave him a blank expression, before twisting open the flask in his hands. Reve then raised a brow himself. "One day Calium is gonna catch you."

"Yeah yeah don't change the subject. So, what? You gotta crush on her or something?"

"You idiot!" Reve exclaimed. I just told you she's a requip mage like me, that's why I like keeping up with her!"

"Hey... No need to yell." Jack slowly replied as his words became more slurred by the minute. Reve ignored him as he turned his head to the window. "I've seen her fight a few times at festivals. If I can be better than that one day, then I'll know that I've made it as a mage. She's my bar that I have to reach. I can't wait to thank her one day."

As time went by after the supposed death of the Fairy Tail mages on Tenrou island, Reve continued to grow. Though he aged with no emotional turmoil from it, his "bar" had disappeared. He didn't know what the standard was anymore, and as the seven years passed, he continued to live on without looking to a new standard. He was just another average S class mage in an average guild. Until one day...

"We're competing!" Reve yelled as he slammed his hands on the table. He stood across from Calium, who simply stared back at him. "Reve, I understand how you're feeling."

"I'm not feeling anything! Lets just fucking compete!"

"Reve!" Taya scolded. "Calm down and have some respect."

"These assholes have been alive for seven years and no one knew. So how do they make their first appearance? By entering the games? I won't have it! Lets enter!"

Calium sighed. "Though we're not a guild of that caliber..."

"We'll become one during the games! When this guild first started I promise Kuro, Waiston, Jack, Zalen Sidney, and Mary...that this guild will be the best in Fiore one day! It's my fault we aren't their yet! I lost my way, but we can do this! Come on Calium!"

A long pause consumed the room. The guild master sighed once more. "I'll fill out the paper work..."

"Alright!" Reve yelled as he clenched his right fist. "We'll win for sure! We just have to be smart and savvy! We

got this right guys!?"

A less than enthusiastic drawl came from the guild, but Reve was too pumped to worry about it.

That year, White Eclipse was eliminated in the preliminaries, coming in ninth just behind Fairy Tail's A team. The guild went home instead of watching the games, later receiving news of Fairy Tail's win, and the dragon attack the warded off. The news only fueled Reve more, as he pushed himself, and the guild into harder training. Training that led to such immediate results. Results that led to morale and confidence boosting. Boosting that lead to that day; the day Reve one shotted Alzack in the snow. The shot that started the rivalry between White Eclipse vs Fairy Tail and everything else that led up until now. It all started with the passionate gunslinger losing what he found important. Erza's presence.

{End Flashback}

"It's petty I know, but I never forgave Erza for being alive. As strange as that sounds, I found it logical. I was okay with being a normal mage, even if I did make that promise to the others about being the strongest guild. We were happy where we were, and now...now we're constantly training instead of enjoying our lives as mages. Trying to surpass the unsurpassable. Trying to beat Fairy Tail. Well...today...I'm ending that."

As Reve walked over the huddle of leaves, he kicked them with his back foot, revealing the barrel to his last sniper that manifested with his Devil's Wheel attack. "Thanks Mac, for the trick."

Erza let out a battle cry as she neared Reve. She reared her swords over her head, ready to strike as she was less than a yard away. Then it happened. The second she began to step over the barrel she didn't see, the sniper went off, and the bullet slammed right into the left side of Erza's abdomen. EVERYONE was in shock.

"What just happened...?" Nami asked.

"Reve won is what happened..." Zalen replied. Cygnus then turned to him. "You saw it?"

Zalen nodded. "He planted a sniper under the ground. The barrel was just sticking out under the leaves. Reve isn't a tactician, so no one saw that coming at all.."

Erza's eyes were completely white. Her two swords dropped from her hands as she fell to the ground face first.

"Erza!" The collective group called out. They didn't receive a response. The fight was over. Reve didn't lose a single step the entire time Erza charged him, and he took a few more steps until now standing with White Eclipse. They all stared back at him worryingly. No one knew how to react to the gunslinger's victory. Reve simply smiled. "I feel...relieved. Like, seven years of disappointment has been lifted from my shoulders." He then turned back to the Fairy Tail members in attendance who were now checking on Erza. "We'll see you at the guild in two months."

No one could give a proper response. Some were too busy attending to the wounded Erza.

"Some one go tell Aira we're leaving. Everyone else, lets go." Reve says as he starts walking off. A few of the mages looked around until Takeru and the others finally followed their leader back home.

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Collision after collision acid banged heads with the lightning and flame mixture. But slowly, it seemed the dual mode was edging out. "What's wrong!? My acid should be burning his skin! Melting it! Why is he okay!?" Leon began to snarl towards Natsu, who stood poised, yet still glaring towards the Acid Dragon Slayer. "It's like I'm hitting pure lightning and fire. I don't think I'm even touching him..! No, don't panic Leon, it's how you lose yourself. Don't-"

While Leon was caught in his own pep talk, Natsu appeared right before him, catching him off guard. "I'm taking that punch back!" Natsu yelled. "Iron Fist, of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu fired a soaring uppercut that slammed into the bottom of Leon's chin. After a seconds delay, Leon went sky rocketing into the air. He came down just as violent, crashing into the ground and creating a crater under him.

"Alright Natsu!" Lucy yelled. Happy imitated her words as he bounced up and down with excitement. In the crater, Leon laid, awake and aware. He stared at the sky emotionlessly, or at least, that was his visage. On the inside, Leon was fighting between complete control and absolute rage, and within a matter seconds... He lost. He crawled out of the crater his body created, and immediately stood back up. Yoē's eyes perked as he took note of Leon's demeanor.

"There's always another gear. Always. Always. Always." Leon spoke to himself, as if chanting as his acid magic completely covered him from head to toe. "No..."

Tristan quickly turned to Yoē. "Yoē! What's going on!? How far is he!?"

Yoē froze, unable to speak.

"Good enough for me."

Tristan says as he quickly takes off. Not fast enough as Leon appeared in front of Natsu in a blur, surprising even him.

"Natsu! Move!" Tristan yelled, but it seemed too late. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art:..."Leon crouched low, speaking in a tone unlike himself. "Acid God Phoenix-"

Before he could get his attack off against the exposed Natsu, Tristan quickly created a steel cage around him. He then turned to Natsu once again. "Get away from him! He's not Leon anymore!"

"What's happening!?" Lisanna asked Mathias.

"Leon's the nicest guy you'll ever meet, but for some reason, he can't control his rage when it surfaces. He's been working on it, but even with all the training, he still hasn't mastered all of it. That's what Yoē was doing earlier. He claims that there's 'two Leons' in one body, and as far fetched as it sounds, Yoē has been able to somewhat accurately predict how far gone Leon is when he's in that mode."

"Yeah, what is that mode!?" Lucy asked next.

"We don't know the real name. Though it's not Dragon Force, since there are no scales on Leon..he dubbed it Dragon Rage, since that's the source of it's power. His anger."

"That's dangerous!" Happy yelled.

Leon placed his hands on the iron bars, and they began to melt away. He then ripped the bars away and stepped out, turning his attention to Tristan. "Leon?"

Natsu calling out to him, only caused Leon to turn back to his opponent. In another blur, Leon grabbed Natsu by his right shoulder, the acid so strong that the skin burning could be heard in the immediate area. He then launched Natsu to the right, causing the dragon slayer to violently tumble into the ground until finally stopping. Natsu laid there, unable to move from the painful tumble. Leon quickly rushed him once more. He reared back his right hand, ready to put a staple on the fight. "He's moving too fast!" Tristan yelled to himself. He then lowered his head, unable to watch what was going to happen next.

"Mister Leon..." Yoē watched helplessly as well, unable to snap him out of his rage. Leon let out a yell as he swung his arm forward...stopping just before striking Natsu. His eyes became fixated as he looked straight ahead. Before him, yards away, Aira stood, completely horrified as she had both hands clasped over her mouth. Leon was frozen still, as if Aira's presence was triggering something inside of him. Something that was...calming.

"Aira..don't move." Tristan told her. Aira slowly nodded. "Leon...?"

Slowly, the acid that covered him began to disappear, until he finally came back to himself. He pulled himself away from Natsu as he lowered his head, and turned away from Aira and the others. "Sorry, I lost myself. I can't take this win." Leon said to Natsu as he walked away.

"Screw that." Natsu huffed out as he stared up at the sky. "You won. But after this demon games thing when we beat Daityas I want a rematch! Man...this is my fault. I slept too long."

"You were in a coma!" Lucy yelled. "I told you this was a bad idea!"

Natsu smiled, despite the fact that an uncontrollable Leon was about to end his life. Lucy shook her head as she spoke aloud to Happy. "He was about to die, and all he can think about is how he lost and that he wants to go again."

"Aye...that's Natsu." Happy replied.

"Sometimes, I'm glad he's your problem now," Lisanna stated.

They all then walked over, and lifted Natsu up to help him walk. "Lets get you home you idiot."

"Aye.." The Dragon Slayer called out.

Leon walked over to Yoē. The small raven haired boy held out Leon's cloak for him. As Leon puts it on, he notices Aira in his peripherals. "I'm sorry you had to see that." He said without looking to her as he fixed his cloak. Aira then placed a hand on his shoulder. "You were amazing, by the way."

Leon raised his head a bit, somewhat surprised by her response. "You're not afraid of me?"

"Oh I am!" She said jokingly. "But, not afraid enough to stay away from you. It's an excitable fear, how strong you can be."

"It's not the strength, it's how I lose myself..."

"Yeah, but I'm not worried about that. I once had a guild mate who had the same problem." He reference to Kairi's Lucifer takeover form caused Aira's smile to shrink slightly. She then regrew that smile as she focused back on Leon.

"We didn't give up on her, so why would I you?"

Leon blinked once, and then smiled towards the blonde. "Thanks, Aira."

She nodded with a smile, and then began walking away. "I'll see you soon. Two months!"

"Two months..."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: The First Event!

With the remaining two months flying by, not a single guild came into contact with each other since the two fights that took place between Erza and Reve, and Leon and Natsu. Throughout those two months, training went on as planned, and finally, Daityas' challenge was about to commence.

The four Tartaros females stood across the Garou Knights, holding confident stances. The Garou Knights were mentally drained and damaged. An entire year of being beaten to a pulp nearly every day really took a toll on their souls.

"First off," Maggie says with a grin. "We want to thank you loves for giving us a light spar whenever we needed it."

"Light spar..." Kama whispered to himself. "We gave them everything we had everyday, praying that we would kill them, and she has the nerve to call our efforts a light spar."

"But, as we told you all, the day has come. It's time for you all..to die."

Maggie smiled an innocent visage, the other girls joining in their own patented demeanor. Before they could take a step towards the Garou Knights however...

"So this is where you girls have been hiding?"

The four of them turn around, the men of Tartaros standing side by side as they looked around the underground cavern.

"No...no! No! No!" Kiora yelled. "This is our playground! How did you find it!?"

Rugal then pointed back to where they came from with a straight face. "You left the door open."

"Left the door open!?" Ruika yelled. "Who was the last one in huh!?"

"... You were." Sora replied. After a long pause, Ruika turned away from everyone while rubbing the back of her heads. She then spoke to herself. "Dropped the ball babe." She then turned back to her guild. "Well...! Still, go away this is our fun!"

Daityas ignored the celestial mage as he towered over the knights from the edge of the cliff he stood on. "And who are they?"

"We're the Garou Knights!" Kama boasted proudly. He bumped his right fist against his chest with his eyes shut. Even after the year he's been through, he was able to confidently shout about his team of executioners. But then Kama opened his eyes, and before him was Daityas himself. "I was talking to my comrades." Daityas recited in a harsh tone. Kama's eyes were wide, and the last thing he saw was Daityas' hand thrusting into his sternum. The rest of the knights stood in shock and horror as their leader fell lifelessly to the ground.

"L...Leader..!" Kamika shouted in disbelief.

"That wasn't beautiful!" Cosmos yelled as well. Daityas ignored them both as he turned back to Kiora and the others. "They're waiting on us to start, so can we wrap this up here?"

"I guess..." Kiora said unenthusiastically, almost heart broken.

"Stop crying. You're too old for toys." Daityas spouted. He then turned back to the remaining knights with a menacing glare. Frightened, they took a step back, and then desperately scrambled away, running as fast as possible. "I have to work on my glares. That was supposed to leave them frozen in fear, not scramble away like bitches."

Daityas created an orb of Hells Flames in his right hand. He then waited a few more seconds, and finally, he launched it forward, in the vicinity that the knights ran. Suddenly that entire side of the underground cavern lit up in Hells Flames. The agonizing screams only lasted for seconds, until the only sound that remained was the flames slowly dying down. Daityas then turned back around and began walking over to his guild. "Now, lets get moving-"

A loud clanging sound was heard, causing Daityas to stop talking. One of Kama's blades hit the ground, broken off of its hilt. Kama had swung for Daityas' neck. Daityas slowly turned around with a menacing smile, unscathed. "Oh!? You look to decapitate your opponents huh!? Now that's a warrior! I'm even more impressed because I thought I killed you. Well your fifteen seconds of fame are up now, so rest easy with your comrades!"

Daityas booted Kama right in the chest, sending him flying into the flames. There wasn't a single scream of agony, so it was determined the hard kick killed him before he reached the Hells Flames anyways.

"Rugal. Take us to those damn snowy mountains."

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.

Every guild that planned on participating stood outside of White Eclipse. The snow blanketed the ground as always, but none was falling thanks to Jaxon and his weather control. From Quatro Cerberus to Fairy Tail, they all waited for the arrival of Tartaros.

"Where are they?" Mason asked. Roy patted the young boy on the shoulder. "This is one thing we shouldn't be rushing, Mason."

"I know." He replied. "I'm just anxious."

"Bacchus." Jack Royal of White Eclipse called out to the S class mage and walked over to him with a smile. "You're looking great! A bit buffer I see?"

Bacchus let out a laugh as he stood in between Kuro Chi and Blues. "I went nonstop over the year. Our training was wild!"

"Four!" They all yelled in unison before they continued laughing.

Erza stood alone, arms folded over as she waited patently for the demons arrival. Her eyes wandered, and she caught glimpse of Reve, who was talking with his guild mates at the time. They haven't seen each other since their last fight, and she...smiled a bit as she turned back to looking around.

"Will Calium be okay?" Aira asked Reve, her hands clasped together with worry.

"The others will take care of him while we're gone Aira. Don't worry." Reve responded. She nodded once, then turned back to the horizon, as if that was where she expected Tartaros to appear.

"Aye! I'm ready to go!" Natsu shouted with both arms in the air. He then folded them against the back of his head after garnering attention from the other guilds unintentionally. Unconcerned, he turned to Lucy with a cheesy smile. "Thanks for competing Lucy! I won't let anything happen to you!"

Lucy gave a determined nod. "Of course! We're a team, remember?"

"Right!" Natsu shouted. "Aye sir!" Happy added, making his presence known.

"Just don't screw anything up and we'll be fine." Gray added as he stood yards away with Juvia behind him, doing what she does best when he's around.

"We'll be fine! Besides..."

Natsu began to look around and the collective party, first noticing Sting Eucliffe, and then Takeru, and finally Leon. "We're with some really strong allies."

"Hey, where's Mac? And Aurora Pistola?" Reve asked.

"R...right here...!" Leia answered timidly. She stood alone with Luke Cloud, and with more eyes on her she began to shy away from their stares.

"Where's everyone else?" Reve questioned again.

"I...I'll be the only one representing. To be honest, I'm not even supposed to be here. Master Mac said it was too dangerous for us and that you all would handle it because he believes in you. But...I didn't train for a year straight for nothing."

"Touching." Evanee said sarcastically, making Twilight Zone's presence known. Everyone then turned to their direction. "It seems Twilight Zone brought their best guns." Mirajane says as she makes eye contact with Kairi.

"Now isn't a time for ego clashing, but we'll be your saviors here." Rylo says as he stood next to his ace. Taranis and Ceaser took a step in as well as Melanie peered around the edge of her team and waves. Alexander was seated before them in the snow, not saying a word.

"That's good, we need that kind of attitude." Said Trinity of Black Phoenix. "Because you have no clue what we're up against, so it'll be best to get the ignorant out of the way."

None of Twilight Zone reacted to Trinity's insult; partially because the only one who would, Ceaser, was already off in his own world as he dug through his left ear with his pinky.

"What's Trinity's deal?" Heather asked, not really looking for an answer.

Casual small talk continued until finally, in front of everyone, a portal flew open. Out of that portal they stood, Tartaros. Daityas stood in front of his comrades, holding a cocky grin. "It's time ladies and gents. The fate of this world is all on you. Are you ready? Those who are competing please step forward. The mages complied. Mason tried to join his comrade Roy, but was stopped short by Satoshi. "Huh? Toshi what are you doing?"

"You're not going." He answered in a stern tone. "You're way too young. We're going to let Roy handle it."

"What!?" Mason fired back. "That's not fair! I trained for this! I'm going!"

"You're not and that's final! I can't put your life at risk when you won't even be an asset to this!"

"...Won't be an asset huh?"

"Mason I don't mean it like that. Look at everyone who's going. There's no need for you."

Mason lowered his head, remaining quiet for the rest of the time.

"Wow. Forty nine mages are going to die today." Daityas said, feigning a disappointed visage. "Welp! Step on through this portal so we can explain the rules and all that shit."

Daityas and the others walked back through Rugal's portal. The first one in behind them was Fairy Tail. Natsu walked through with Happy and Lucy beside him, followed by Gray and Juvia. Erza walked in behind Wendy and Charla and Gajeel and Lily brought up the rear as Laxus and then Mirajane entered before them.

Like clockwork, White Eclipse walked in behind them. Leading the way was Reve and Taya. Sidney walked in after them, then Nami, Zalen, Waiston, Jaxon, Selene, Luke, Aira, Takeru, Heather and finally Kuro.

From Twilight Zone, Evanee led the pack as Rylo, Alexander, Taranis, Melanie, Flynn Kairi and Ceaser. Just like Leia from Aurora Pistola, and Roy from Shaman's Haven, Kagura walked in alone. Sting, Rogue, Rufus and Orga represented Sabertooth as they stepped through. From Quatro Cerberus, was Bacchus, Kuro Chi, and Blues. Lyon, Jura and Chelia entered for Lamia Scale, and finally, Tristan, Trinity and Leon stepped in for Black Phoenix.

Tobias looked around. "So that's all? Alright." He then stepped in the portal as well. Satoshi took a deep breath as he stood with Makarov and the other guild masters. "There they go." Makarov stated. Everyone nodded. Satoshi then turned to his right. "Okay Mason, lets get out of the cold...Mason...? Mason!?"

Satoshi quickly turned back to the portal, and Mason's head and left arm was sticking out from it. He waved at his guild master. "Don't worry about me I'll be fine! I'll make sure we save the world bye!"

"Mason!" It was too late. Mason entered the portal, and it closed behind him. Satoshi covered his face with his right hand, clenching it in his own fret. "Dammit!"

"He'll be okay.." Makarov gave a small smile. "He's with good company. Come on Satoshi, lets go inside."

.

.

.

Being spat out by the portal, Mason fell on his rear, and rubbed his lower back. He then stood up, standing behind the crowd of mages that stood before Tobias. He began pushing his way to the front as Tobias began to speak.

"Welcome to the first, and last, Tartaros games! I would like to take this time to thank everyone who chose to compete in these games, helping to make it a success-"

A loud and collective "shut up Tobias" covered the area, causing him to pause abruptly. "Such disrespect from those who are about to die."

"Just explain the rules." Evanee snapped.

He cleared his throat. "Right. Well as of right now, we are in a undisclosed location, over one hundred miles away from the tournament ring waiting for you in Crocus. This first event, is the one hundred mile run."

"One hundred miles!?" Lucy questioned loudly. "Are you saying!?"

Tobias nodded with a grin. "You're going to have to run one hundred miles to pass this event."

"Is there a time limit?" Roy asked.

"No, no time limit." He replied. "But! If everyone would please step in front of the white line." They looked down, now realizing that a white line was on the ground. They obliged, stepping over the white line as instructed. Once the last person stepped in front of it, the ceiling behind the white line slammed down, colliding with the floor. Though some jumped in surprise, Lucy and Leia were the only ones to shriek. "What..!?"

Tobias grinned. "This white line will move forward once the event starts, and at random times, it will bring the ceiling down on everything behind it. So no, no time limit. You just have to stay in front of this line until you finish. This course isn't a straight shot either, but that's for you to find out soon."

Tobias began walking towards the portal behind him. "The second I step through here, the event will begin. Have fun!"

Tobias waved once more as he stuck half of his body in. Everyone crouched, ready to take off, and as Tobias disappeared, the portal closed, and everyone, including the white line took off; a yellow blur that was Flynn from Twilight Zone leading the way.

"Tch. Yeah Flynn, waste your magic, idiot." Evanee spouted to herself as she looked back at the line behind her, doing just enough to stay in front of it. "Everyone else knows, play it smart. We don't know what we're truly up against. So I hope you have something in the reserve tank."

Tobias stepped out of the portal, standing next to Maggie at the top of what seemed to be a mountainous creation. "So I'm guess they started yeah?" She asked him. Tobias nodded. "The ones who outrun the line will be here no later than four hours. That's if they make it."

Maggie was actually about to respond with praise, until she looked down. She then looked back towards Tobias. "You're always messing things up aren't you?"

Tobias arched a brow. "What? What are you talking about?"

Maggie pushed Tobias out of the way, revealing Mason standing behind him. The mischief mage gave an innocent smile and wave. "Am I first."

"I...but...how...!? You little..!"

Tobias was lost for words. Due to carelessness, Mason had leaped into the portal without him noticing, causing him to be exempt from the first event.

"No matter." Maggie says as she folds her arms over. "You'll die when my event comes up anyways. Until then, just sit her patiently."

Not wanting to upset anyone anymore than he already has, Mason took a seat on the ground as he prepared to wait out the four hours.

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.

A few miles in, everyone was still on pace, ahead of the line that threatened their lives. It was a straight shot so far, until finally, the contestants came to a multi doorway split. There seemed to be and endless amount of rooms, and at the top of it's hallway was labeled the number five. All but one that is, which had the number for, and Evanee quickly placed two and two together. "Flynn must of ran through that one." She deducted. At this time, Kagura led the pack, and she took the hallway she was closest to. Four more followed her in, and when the fifth one, Kuro, attempted to do the same, what seemed as an invisible force field stopped him.

"Look at the number Kuro!" Reve yelled as he ran by with some others. "Only five to a room so hurry and pick a door!"

Reve then disappeared down the hall. Kuro nodded, and then quickly chose another one, entering with Natsu Happy and Lucy. Everyone else filed into random rooms, and the real run began.

In their room, Gray, Juvia, Selene, Kagura and Leia continued running. Their sprint continued until the other four caught up to Kagura, who was standing at the edge of a body of water. Gray came and the others came to a stop as well. "What's the hold up?"

"We're gonna have to swim across it seems..." Kagura noted.

"And?" Selene asked. "What you can't swim or something?"

The mermaid darted her eyes towards Selene. She then bent down, picking up some loose rubble. The then threw the rubble over the body of water, and not even a fourth of the way through, a giant aquatic beast reared it's head out of the water, snapping the it's jaw together as it consumed the small rock.

"I counted four of them. It seems they eat anything that moves." Kagura continued. "Swimming in there, we wouldn't survive."

Kagura looked back, and immediately, her plan b was cut off as she saw the white line quickly making it's way towards them. It took a pause at the entrance to the room, and the hallway ceiling slammed down, blocking them in. The line began to move again afterwards, heading their way.

"We don't have time for this!" Gray ran to the edge, and then leaped for the water.

"Gray-Sama!" Juvia yelled in horror. "Are you insane!" Kagura questioned.

"Ice make: Floor!" Before Gray landed in the water, he pushed his hands down, freezing the surface of the water about one fourth of the way across. "Come on!" Gray yelled without looking back. Slightly impressed with the quick thinking, Kagura and the others followed behind him, racing against the white line to get across.

Bacchus, Orga, Chelia, Evanee, and Luke ran into an ice filled room. Somehow, a blizzard was blowing against them, causing them to stop as Evanee and Bacchus began to scan the room in it's entirety.

"Can you see anything!?" Bacchus yelled to Evanee over the loud blizzard.

"Barely!" She replied. "All I know is that the door isn't straight ahead!"

"Ugh! If only Jaxon was here!" Luke scoffed, shielding his eyes from the blizzard.

The white line caught up, collapsing the hallway ceiling and locking them inside. This caused Orga to jump in a panic. "We can't sit here! Lets just go find the door!"

"Orga wait!" Bacchus yelled out for him, but Orga ran out regardless. They watched him run until he was just a silhouette.

"I can barely see him!" Chelia yelled. Just then, she heard loud rustling coming from the ceiling. She looked up to see the entire ceiling filled with giant, sharp stalactites. A certain one began to shake vigorously. Evanee, Luke and Bacchus looked up as well once they heard it. "That's where Orga ran off too..." Evanee said lowly, as if she knew what was coming next. And she did. The stalactite dropped from the ceiling like a missle, dive bombing towards the ground.

"Orga!" Luke shouted. Letting his emotions get the best of him, he attempted to run out to find him, but Bacchus grabbed him instead. Finally, a loud crash and yell was heard, followed by deathly silence.

"ORGA!"


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: A Broken Diamond and a Lonely Dragon.

His eyes slowly fluttered opened. He sat up, groaning as he held the top of his head. "Where am I? I could of sworn I..." Looking around, Orga found himself inside of what seemed like a giant bird cage that swung from the ceiling. He then dropped his hands, realizing that they were cuffed together; magic sealing no doubt.

"You're in crocus." Tobias answered. Orga looked over to where his voice came from. Tobias grinned at the Lightning God Slayer. "In fact, this is where the Grand Magic Games are held, but we did some remodeling. Now it's a building with an arena."

"How did I get here!?" Orga demanded to know as he grabbed the bars to the cage. "I was in that snowy room last I remember."

"Oh yeah, you were." Tobias' grin then became wicked. "You died there."

Orga's eyes flashed open. "...What?"

"Yeah, a stalactite crushed you. Fell right from the ceiling. If I'm lucky, the group you were with will join you soon."

"Hold on, wait!" Orga protested. "If I died, how am I here!?"

"I'll answer that for you." Stepping out of the shadows was Daityas himself. He raised his head to meet eye contact with Orga, chuckling at first.

"Magic."

"Obviously!" Orga yelled. Daityas chuckled a bit more before he actually began to explain. "Zeref's book is so vast. There's a spell on each and everyone of you. I placed it on you all the second the games started. It allows me to instantly revive you the second you die. And well, here you are. Locked in a cage and waiting for your comrades to either join you, or walk through that door over there."

Orga began to snarl at the two. "How sick are you people!?"

Daityas then gave off his own menacing smile, answering Orga's question. "Very."

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"Ice make: Floor!"

Gray slammed his hands down once more, covering another fourth of the water as everyone continued to race across. They all sprinted, Kagura in front as the others were right behind her.

"With my gravity magic, I could easily make this jump, but with the monsters under us yet to make a move, there's no reason to waste any magic yet. I'll leave it to Gray then.

"Floor!"

After a few seconds of waiting for him to catch up, Gray created the ice floor a third time. Three fourths of the way there, it seemed all too easy for the five as the ran across without hesitation. Kagura was at top speed when finally, they surfaced. Resembling the likes of long necked dinosaurs, the aquatic monsters now stood in the way of the five mages and the door. Everyone slid into a stop as the beasts let out a loud roar of hostility. "Tch!" Gray scoffed. He then turned back to see the line catching up to them. "We have no choice!" He says as he slides into his ice make stance. Kagura, Juvia and Selene then did the same. It was Leia who was frozen in fear as the beasts towered over them.

"Lets go!"

"Water Slicer!" Juvia fired her blades of water magic towards her opposition. Upon impact to it's sternum, the beast let out a cry of pain as smoke from the attack filled the air.

"Ice make: Lances!" Gray fired his attack next, slamming it against the monsters head. The beast replicated the cries of the previous one as it unwillingly moved out of the way.

The third beast swung it's head forward, and quickly, Selene covered the top of her head with her diamond scales. She met the beast with her own head butt, causing it to harmonize with the it other two beasts. Finally, As the final one swung it's neck towards Kagura, she crouched, and gripped her sheathed sword. As her neck neared her, a sudden slash happened within the blink of an eye, and Kagura sheathed her sword once more as the beast fell lifelessly.

"H...harsh.." Leia said as she watched the outcome.

"Gray! Make a straight line to the door!"

"Right!" Gray reacted to Kagura's demand, and created his last floor of ice that connected to the door.

"Lets go!" Selene yelled to Leia as the other three took off ahead. She nodded frantically and quickly followed behind, running full speed behind Selene as they brought up the rear. First entered Kagura, then Grsh and Juvia, but when Selene tried to enter, something happened. It was the force field around the door again. "What!?" Selene started to punch the field that blocked her, but it was to no avail. She then looked up, noticing the number three hanging over the door. "Three? Shit!"

"What's wrong!?" Gray asked as he turned around.

"Only three was allowed to enter!" Selene yelled.

"There has to be another door!" Kagura shouted. "Look around!"

As Selene began to look around, another white line appeared at the first doorways beginning. It caught Juvia's eye. "Juvia, Kagura and Gray-Sama can't stay here! Selene has to look on her own!"

"Shit...another line." Gray says as he too spotted it. "Good luck Selene! We know you'll be fine!"

The three mages ran ahead, just avoiding the ceiling collapse in their hallway. Selene continued to search high and low. "There!" Leia yelled as she pointed under the water. She spotted it, a doorway under the ice, near the bottom of the giant pool.

"We have to swim to that!?" Selene questioned, but she didn't take another thought. Grabbing Leia's arm, she sprinted off to the right. At the same time, the three remaining aquatic beasts came too from the previous attacks and quickly submerged and followed the two remaining girls. Though she noticed, she kept running towards where the door was located, now standing over it as she formed her right hand into diamonds. "You can swim right!?" Selene asked her. "Huh!? Y-yeah! I'm a great swimmer..!"

"Yeah, didn't ask to what degree. When I break this ice, swim for your life to that door at the bottom, okay!?"

Selene didn't give Leia time to answer as she reared back. She then fired her hand forward. "Here we go!"

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Luke dove out the way, just barely avoiding the incoming stalactite that crashed into the ground next to him. He was alone. Prior to him entering the domain, the group had quickly decided to split up to find the door to the next hallway. Once found, the would give off a signal to allow the other to know where the exit lied. He scrambled back to his feet, and continued running to avoid giant falling icicles that threatened his life. He continued running until he heard a low growl coming from up ahead. Still running, a silhouette then appeared in the heavy blizzard. A few more strides, and now Luke found himself before a giant wolf like creature. Even with the beast right in front of him, it was hard to make out, for it's coat was as white as the snow it stood in. "...Oh." Luke said as he stared at the monster that towered over him. He then looked back down, and he could see it, a door! The way out, and all that stood between him was this giant creature before him. "Okay, I can see how this is going to go." Luke Cloud says as he prepares himself for a fight.

On the opposite side of the room, a loud crash was heard, and Evanee stood across from a wolf like creature of her own, except, her opponent was already panting in exhaustion. The perks of being as strong as the ace of Twilight Zone, she saw no real threat from the beast before her.

"Sounds like they found some fun!" Bacchus exclaimed as he ran with Chelia, searching for a door themselves.

"I wouldn't exactly call it fun, Bacchus!" She replied, before tripping over something and falling into the snow. Bacchus slid to a stop, and turned to help her up, but we he saw halted his actions. It was a tail she tripped over, and as he traced the tail to it's body, Bacchus's eyes widened in disbelief. "M-Massive!" He said as he was now the ant to a giant wolf like creature; what was probably the biggest one in the giant room. He grabbed Chelia as the beast turned around to face them, and he immediately took off in a sprint. "I don't know how strong that thing is, so we're not risking it!"

He continued to carry Chelia, running until he came to an unfortunate dead in. "Dammit! It would be us!" He complained. He then placed her down as he turned back to the wolf. Bacchus slowly formed a grin on his face. "Well then, it wouldn't be wild if we didn't go down swinging!"

"Look!" Before Bacchus could charge the wolf, Chelia pointed to the ray of dark magic shooting into the sky.

Over at the source, Evanee fired off her Dark Ray, signaling the others that there was a door where she stood. In front of her, the beast now laid lifeless and bloodied. "I didn't predict that only three people would be allowed to enter this door. So hopefully the fourth person can find another way out." Evanee stopped firing her Dark Ray, and began her jog through the hallway.

"We have to get over there!" Chelia yelled.

"Don't worry!" Bacchus replies as he steps forward. "I'll distract this thing. You make a run for it on my signal."

"But-"

"Do you want to die or do you want to continue to live!?"

Chelia lowered her head. Bacchus then grinned back at the beast before him. Finally, it charged, and Bacchus met it half way, grabbing the beast by it's jaws just before it could bite down on the palm user. "Now! Go!"

Chelia ducked her head and ran off, heading towards the flare Evanee created as the white wolf beast pushed Bacchus back into the wall, creating a crater from the impact.

"Bacchus..!" Chelia kept running, refusing to look back like she promised herself not to, leaving him completely alone with the giant beast.

She saw the door, and made her way around the beast. She then stopped as she heard screaming from behind. "Bacchus!?"

"You brat you weren't really supposed to leave!" He yelled as he comically ran for his life with the giant beast right behind him, snapping at the palm user every chance it had.

"But you said!"

"Never mind just run!" He yelled again while running, eventually scooping Chelia and baseball sliding through the hallway door. He then stayed on his knees, panting as Chelia stood over him, blinking. "You were...supposed to...ignore my demands! That's not wild at all!" He yelled at the little god slayer while trying to catch his breath. Chelia became frustrated, then started flailing about. "I didn't know!"

"Well now you do! Come on. Lets keep moving!"

"Should I ignore that too?"

"Don't get smart with me!"

"White God's Ray!" Luke rolled past the beast as it attempted to bite down on the Copy Cat. From his hands, he then created a magic seal and then fired a ray of White God Slaying magic. The ray slammed into the beast, pushing it out of the way and temporarily disabling it. Luke then ran for the door. Once it was in the clear, he realized that the door had a number one over it. "Only one person!? That's not good! Should I go on ahead!?" Luke looked back to see the beast once again charging him full speed. "...Yup! Hang in there amigos!" Luke then quickly dove through the hallway door, the beast too big to fit through. He took the time to catch his breath, hunched over and panting until another white line appeared behind him, bringing the ceiling behind him down. "Again!?" He immediately took off, running just in front of the line to keep a pace that wasn't quickly tiring. "Orga... Poor Sabertooth. When they find out..."

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Leon, Natsu, Happy, Lucy and Kuro stood at the edge of their doorway, looking at what seemed like an endless fall. Their domain took the shape of a sky, filled with an unlimited number of clouds. Floating in the sky, was a hallway. "Two." Leon said as he read the number hovering over the door. "Only two can enter through that one."

"So where's the other door?" Kuro asked. Natsu looked down towards the seemingly endless fall. "I bet it's down there."

"Willing to take that risk?" Leon asked him in a daring tone. Kuro and Natsu grinned towards each other, and then back to Leon.

"Why are you all grinning!? You're having too much fun with this!" Lucy scolded.

"So what's the plan!?" Happy asked with a raised paw. Natsu then crouched down to his partner and patted him on the head. "Happy, I want you to fly Lucy to that door straight ahead. We'll meet you two at the finish line okay?"

"But...Heavy..." Happy said, shaking a bit.

"Not now Happy!" Lucy yelled embarrassingly.

Happy latched on to Lucy's back anyways, and immediately took off. The other three then leaped off the edge with no regrets to their actions, plummeting as they searched for a hallway that may not even be there.

Happy began flying Lucy across the sky. It seemed like an easy path, not a single obstacle in sight.

Back down where the three boys dove, Natsu squinted his eyes, making out a few figures ascending and heading their way. As they came closer, they appeared to be giant birds. "Look out!" Kuro yelled as he grabbed and pulled Leon towards himself. The birds flew right past the three, their eyes locked on Happy and Lucy.

"Happy..!" Natsu then turned around, and cupped his hands around his mouth to shout. "HAPPY! LOOK OUT!"

Happy and Lucy both looked over their shoulders, and immediately panicked as the birds began catching up to them. Quickly, they ended up beside the exceed and celestial mage, cawing at their prey. "Happy!"

"Max speed!"

Before the first bird could peck at the two, Happy took off with immense speed, rushing for the door and just edging out past the birds. Minutes later, he and Lucy tumble into the hallway, Happy's wings turning off right before the crash landing. By this time, Natsu and the others had been lost sight of the two. He pushed his worries to the back of his mind as the three continued to look around. "There!" Kuro yelled. He pointed just over to the right, a hallway with the number three hovering over it. Leon was the furthest away, and as the three pushed themselves over to reach the door, Natsu and Kuro easily fell in without a problem. Leon on the other hand...barely caught the edge. He then pulled himself up and in, now counting his lucky stars as he stood next to Natsu and Kuro. They both looked back at Leon, and the Acid Dragon replied with a smile before the three of them ran off once more.

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Wendy, Charla, Taranis, Jura, and Kuro Chi ran across the desert room. What seemed like an endless amount of sand hills they climbed. The reason they were running full speed was no longer because of the line. It was because of the creatures that continuously popped up from underneath the sand. Enormous scorpion like creatures would surface, attempting to pierce one with its stinger, or grab a mage with it's claws and drag then back down in the sand with it. Straight ahead was one of the two hallways that led out of the domain. Not able to be seen, the number on the door only held a one. Still, the five raced towards it.

"Iron Rock Wall!" From a magic circle, Jura created a giant rock wall that cut off the scorpion's path to him and the mages. That same scorpion simply dove back into the sand, disappearing from the scene temporarily. Another one then surfaced again, a swung it's stinger forward.

"Water Gods Drill!" From his own magic seal, Kuro fired a tightened spiral of Water God slaying magic towards the scorpion, colliding with the stinger in a stalemate. They continued running with the creatures distracted. That didn't take long as the scorpions burrowed back underground. The five then saw the number on the door. "One!? No way! That's unfair!" Wendy yelled. Though she shared her grief, just like everyone else, she didn't stop running. "I'll be that one then!" Taranis yelled as he picked up speed, passing everyone in the process. As he booked it, he came within yards away from the door before the sand from under him began to sink. "What the!?" Before he could react, a scorpion had him within it's claws and dragged him back down under just as fast. "Shit!" Kuro cursed. "Just like that he's gone..."

"Don't be next." Jura said calmly. Just as he spoke, another one of the desert's assassins appeared from the sand and swung it's tail downward. Jura dove out the way, avoiding the stinger. When he looked back, his eyes widened. Kuro Chi had been struck right through his abdomen. He stood there in shock and immense pain until the desert beast lifted the Water God Slayer into the air. Kuro then landed with a thud in the sand lifelessly before his body then disappeared.

"Kuro!" Jura yelled, taking his eyes off his surroundings just long enough for another scorpion to resurface, and grab him from behind. "No!" Jura couldn't raise his hands to work his magic, and was quickly dragged under.

"Jura!" Wendy cried out, but Charla didn't allow her to stop, grabbing her and now taking flight yet staying low as she rushed towards the door. "Charla, that door will only let one of us pass through! We have to find another!" Wendy yelled.

"We don't have time." Her exceed replied calmly. At that time Wendy began squirming around vigorously. "Wendy! Stop! I can't fly when you do that!"

"Good! Because I'm not going anywhere without you!"

Wendy's constant moving caused Charla to lose her control and slow down, and out of nowhere a scorpions claw hits them from behind. Wendy and Charla crash land right before the hallway door. She made it to her feet, and looked around, not seeing a single scorpion in sight. "Charla, are you okay!?"

She looked up, noticing Wendy standing. She then widened her eyes as a scorpion stood behind her, rearing it's claw back. "Wendy! Look out!" Charla yelled. She then scrambled to her feet and shouldered Wendy out the way, causing the little dragon slayer to stumble into the hallway door. Wendy fell, but quickly bounced back up, banging on the force field that wouldn't allow her out. "Charla! Charla!"

The little white exceed smiled towards her friend, the last thing Wendy saw of her before the scorpion claw grabbed her and drug her under the sand.

"CHARLA! CHARLA NO!"

Tears flowed from her eyes as she slowly slumped down to her knees. She then began to cry uncontrollably. "Ch-Charla..! Why!?"

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"Now!" Selene yelled as she broke through the ice with a single punch. Leia quickly jumped in the water, and swam surprisingly fast towards the door. Selene jumped in right behind her, swimming for her life as she attempted to catch up to Leia. Right behind her, the three remaining beast chased then, gliding through the water as the pursued the two mages. Leia made it through the door, but as Selene tried to enter, one of the beast grabbed her by the leg and pulled her back. She covered her mouth to keep her air from escaping, but she now found herself trapped between the three monsters. Selene quickly coated herself in diamonds as one charged her. The monster bit down, but quickly lets go from the pain in it's teeth after trying to bite through diamonds. This was Selene's chance. And she quickly took off swimming. Or at least, she thought. Her diamond structure was holding her down, and she couldn't move as fast as she wanted to. Plus, she was running out of air. It only became worse as the white line showed itself again, passing right past Selene. Now it was only a matter of time until the ceiling came down on the entire room. Selene elected to stay in her diamond form as she swam for the door. She swam as fast as possible, the beast supposedly behind her. She then actually looked back, noticing that the ceiling in fact had came down, but the beasts' giant frames stopped it from completely covering the room. Yet, she could hear the ceiling pushing down, slowly squashing the beasts that slowed it. She was running out of time, front stroking as fast as she could. It was when she was only yards away, that the monsters' frames no longer held up, and the ceiling came crashing down. Selene caught it, and pushed up with all her strength just to keep from being squashed. She couldn't move, and finally...

Leia was out of the water, catching her breath as she waited for Selene, hoping she would surface. The seconds went by, but Leia patiently waited. She waited, and waited, until finally a loud crash was heard, signifying that the ceiling had fully came down. "Maybe she just made it? She should be surfacing right about now!"

At that moment, the white line reappeared. Leia stared at it in disbelief and sorrow. It was evident what had happened, so Leia began running again to stay in front of the moving line, a single tear falling from her face. "...Thank you...

Selene."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Burning Tsunami!

Through everyone went through similar obstacles, no more casualties were caused. Finally, the one hundred miles were covered, and everyone began to finally met up at the finish line, now standing on what seemed like a giant mountainous structure.

"Lucy! Happy!"

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as she ran over to the dragon slayer. Leon and Kuro appeared behind them, now splitting up to go stand with their guilds.

"Everyone okay?" Natsu asked. He then looked over to Happy, and noticing the exceed with his lowered and tears flowing from his eyes. "Happy? What's wrong with Happy? Did something happen?"

Lucy then lowered her head as well. "Natsu..." She whispered. It was then he noticed everyone from his guild huddled around a crying Wendy as she clung to Erza. Erza patted the top of her head. "It's okay Wendy. Let it out.." Erza says to her as she pulled her closer.

"Wendy's crying..." He said as he noticed.

"Charla... Charla saved Wendy's life, and...it costed her own." Lucy stated, finally able to release the words.

His eyes widened, unable to believe what he heard. "Everyone in the group she was with are gone too... Jura...Kuro...that Taranis guy...she was the lone survivor. She's really shaken.."

Natsu walked over to Happy, and picked him up. The tears from the exceed began to stain his shirt, the least of his worries as he walked over to the huddle of Fairy Tail mages. Natsu then sat in the middle, and pulled Wendy towards him, ducking her head into his shoulders as he held both her and Happy against him, not saying a word as they continued to cry.

Evanee was walking away from the Sabertooth huddle, internally grieving the lost of her own guild mate herself as she broke the news to Sting and the others. The remaining three tried to hold themselves together of their fallen comrade, watery eyes plaguing them as they continued to face away from everyone.

"Damn." Reve says as he stood with his White Eclipse members. "Losing a member has to hurt. Everyone of us is here right?"

"We're missing Selene." Takeru replied. "But it's Selene and there's still time."

Luke stood at the back of the huddle, and stared at the last hallway. "Selene, Leia. You both took the same path as Kagura. You should be here by now.."

He continued to stare, waiting for them both to appear. Finally, a figure walked out of the hallway, panting heavily. It was Leia. "Leia!" Luke yelled. He then immediately ran over to her, helping her stand up straight. "Leia! You're okay! Where's Selene?"

She dropped her head, giving a sorrowful expression. "Selene saved my life..but, she didn't...I'm sorry Luke."

Luke slowly dropped his hands from Leia's shoulders, too shocked to believe what he heard. As if he needed anymore proof, the final door behind Leia closed, signifying the end of the first event.

"No...Selene..." Luke quietly cried out as he began to sink towards the ground. His falling to the floor allowed Leia to see Takeru walking towards her. He then grabbed her, and violently shoved her against the wall, causing her to shriek in pain.

"Takeru!" Zalen yelled. All eyes were on him and Leia now. "She sacrificed her life for you!? And you left her!? You couldn't save her too!?"

"I..." Leia stammered, tears flowing from her eyes. She couldn't come up with an answer. Another shriek left her as Takeru pushed her harder against the wall. "I see the reason your guild master didn't want you here! You got one of our members killed! She would of been okay if she wasn't baby sitting!"

"Takeru let her go!" Reve yelled. Takeru ignored him, and reared back a fist. As he reared back, Sidney appeared, grabbing the dragon slayer by his arm. Takeru turned around, seething, but he knew no matter how upset, he wasn't going to overpower his ace. With that, he released Leia, Luke crouching next to her to make sure she was okay.

"My lord you lot are so overdramatic it's hard to listen to. Your crummy friends are alive alright?"

Ears were perked. Everyone turned to face the Lethal Eruption of Tartaros, Maggie as she continued looking outward.

"What do you mean!?" Natsu asked as she stood up with Wendy and Happy, both wiping their faces of the tears they released.

"I mean yeah they died, but they came back to life afterwards. I don't have a way of showing you or anything, but you've all been hit with Zeref's magic and don't even know it. Relax, it's nothing to restrict you, it's a post revival spell. When you die, you're instantly revived. They're out of the contest now, but the blokes are fine, waiting for you in Crocus. "Charla's okay!?" Wendy asked, slowly gaining hope in her features as she took in the explanation.

"Oh she's far from okay." Maggie replied. "You know when you die you don't feel anything? Well, with Zeref's revival spell, you remember the pain of your death vividly."

"You're sick!" Heather yelled towards the lava mage.

"We know. We're Tartaros." She added. "Your Selene friend drowned. Think how much it has to suck to remember how that felt. Your lungs filling with water. Ouch." Maggie then turned around to face the remaining competitors. "You lot let me down man. You gave Tobias six deaths. I betted that he wouldn't get three. Technically he's winning since he's the only one who went so far. So with my challenge I'll easily double it!"

"Wait..!" Sting says as he walks to the front of the mages. "What do you mean he's winning?"

"Oh yeah. This competition isn't about you guys." Maggie grinned. "It's between the mages of Tartaros. We want to see who can collect the most kills with our own abilities and events."

"You monsters! We're not toys!" Roy yelled as he stood next to Mason.

"That depends on who you're asking. To us, you are toys. So shut up and get ready for the next event!"

As she yelled, Maggie raised her arms to the air, and the mountainous structure they stood upon began to split open. The slope of the mountain cracked open, revealing nothing but molten lava flowing violently. Random waves coming and going all the way down to the base of the mountain.

"Welcome to my challenge. I call it, Burning Tsunami!"

"Lame." Mason whispered. Maggie cut his eyes towards the kid, but then continued on. "Your task, is to use those stone boats over there that my demon created, and ride this molten liquid filled mountain all the way down! Try not to die. But actually, do die. Help me win."

"Wait! Aren't there anymore rules!?" Blues asked as she continued to walk away.

"Make it down the blooming mountain! What more do you need you idiot?" Maggie replied with annoyance. She then hopped in the portal.

Once it closed behind her, the other mages began walking over towards the stone boats she mentioned earlier. "Well...we might as well get started." Reve said as he placed his foot in one of the boots, claiming it for himself.

"Hold on." Erza called out. "There definitely isn't enough for everyone to have their own boat. We need to even this out before we go."

And within that second, the area began to shake, and the closed hallway began to sink down into the mountain, revealing a giant crater. Keeping his balance, Blues walked over to the giant hole and his eyes widened from what he saw. "Well I don't think we're going to have time to figure out how many to a boat!" He yelled. He then quickly ran away from the hole, grabbing a stone canoe of his own. Before anyone could comment on his selfish act, the crater in the volcano they stood upon erupted, shooting out an enormous fountain of molten liquid that started to cover the entire mountain top.

"Time to go!" Reve yelled as he grabbed a boat. "No time for counting just fill in!"

And they did. Taya, Waiston and Jaxon hopped in with the gunslinger, filling the boat up instantly as they began to surf down the molten mountain.

"Rylo, take Alexander and Melanie. I got Kairi and Ceaser with me." Evanee delegated the orders to the magician, and he nodded accordingly. "You heard her! We're outta here!"

"It seems like four is the capacity!" Erza yelled as she noticed Reve's boat filled with no more room. "We can take five!" Natsu yelled as he held his boat over his head, running towards the stream of lava. "Happy's small!"

"Make is six then Salamander!" Gajeel exclaimed as he carried Pantherlily with him.

"Lyon!" Roy called out to the other ice maker. "You and Chelia ride with me and Mason!"

"Right!" Lyon yelled back, then took Chelia's hand as they ran over to the boat. All three of them hopped in the boat that Mason already had taken before the event started.

"I saw you the entire time, Mason." Lyon stated. "You took the boat the second Maggie explained that rule. You're a little shit but you're savvy."

Mason smiled as they rushed down the slope of magma, not really responding as they ventured on. Everyone was now on the slope of the volcanic mountain, riding the unnatural waves that manifested at random.

"Left, not right Salamander!" Gajeel yelled as he rocked the boat to the left to ride the incoming wave.

"I am pushing left!" Natsu spouted.

"Your other left, are you stupid!?"

"Are you really asking flame brain that!?" Gray added as Juvia held on to the ice makes for support, among other things.

"Now isn't the time Gray!" Lucy yelled as she contributed to the rocking.

"Don't yell at Gray-Sama!"

All six of them rocked the boat at the same time, gliding over to and up the wave, which was ironically the safest thing to do as it eventually died down.

Behind them Reve, Taya, Waiston and Jaxon mimicked their movements, except with excessive force, causing the four mages to go airborne. The boat then began to fall back to the molten slope. Reve then turned to call out to Jaxon. "Let us down easy Jaxon!" He yelled.

"I'm on it!" Jaxon replied, and from two magic circles placed under the boat, two clouds formed, carrying their canoe and drastically slowing their fall until they softly landed back in the molten river. "Alright! This shouldn't be too hard!" Waiston yelled as the continued their frantic pace.

Even further behind, the all-star squad of Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, and Wendy began speeding up unwillingly. They were in sync however, swaying from left to right to ride the molten waves as they passed Reve's group.

"This isn't a race you know!" Reve yelled towards them. "If we could slow down we would trust me!" Mirajane replied as they continued to glide to the front.

Trinity, Leon, and Tristan were able to grab a boat together, and with Leia they rode the waves that threatened their lives. Sting,

Rogue and Rufus did the same, being accompanied by Aira of White Eclipse.

"Right!" Roy yelled, and everyone in the boat responded by swaying to the right, guiding the boat away from the molten rocks that stuck out from the flowing river. "Left!" Roy yelled again, and they once again responded with a hard left push, dodging the rocks once more. "Good job now hold on!" He yelled, and seconds later, their boat ascended due to the wave under them rising into the air. They then slammed back down into the molten river, splashing the lava everywhere. "Heads up!" Mason yelled towards Sidney and Zalen as a small wave of lava looked to splash all over them. Zalen quickly raised his hands, creating an iron wall that protector him and Sidney from the incoming splash. "Close one!" Zalen huffed out. Sidney continued to look forward, not saying a word as he did all the steering himself down the magma slope. "If you gave me instructions, I'd be able to help." Zalen said to his brother.

"Sit down and shut up." Sidney replied. Zalen quietly seethed as he sat back, hanging on as Sidney continued to selfishly do all the work.

As Natsu and the others continued downward, Happy spotted something in the river. It looked like the body of a snake that descended back down right after Happy caught glimpse of it. "Uh, Natsu!" Happy called out, tugging on his scarf.

"What is it, Happy?" He looked back, taking his eyes off the path ahead of him. At that moment, a giant serpent rose from the river of magma, right in front of Natsu's boat. "That!" Happy yelled as he pointed, causing the mages to scream. The serpent then dove head first for them. "Right!" Gray yelled, and they all shoved over, moving their boat to the left just in time as the serpent missed. It's backlash caused a wave of it's own, sending the Fairy Tail mages on a ride before settling back down.

"It's coming back around!" Lucy yelled as she spotted the body of the serpent swim around the boat.

"I got it!" Gajeel yelled as he stood up on the boat. "Just keep the boat steady!"

"Easier said than done!" Gray added.

The giant serpent reared it's head again, and Gajeel began inhaling the air around him. "Roar..."

"Of the Aquatic Dragon!

Of the Iron Dragon!"

Two separate funnels slammed into the giant snake, causing it to cry out as it fell back into the molten river. Gajeel looked over to Blues, who gave him the assist. "Gihe! Not bad Blues!"

Blues gave him a thumbs up before he went back to steering the boat with Bacchus.

Nami, Takeru, Luke and Heather all shared one boat. If it was a race, they would be stationed in fourth place. The continuos rocking back and fourth just like the others signifying their teamwork as they rode wave after wave. As they continued onward, Heather then pointed out a couple of figures appearing from each side of them. "Golems? Maggie's of course!" She reminded them of Maggie's ability to create the magma rock creatures. In the next second, they were surrounded by the surfing golems, and the one to the right launches a well sized stone towards their canoe. "Look out!" Nami yelled. With no where to go, Luke fires a bolt of lightning towards the incoming rock, breaking it into harmless pieces. He and Takeru then stand up on the speeding boat as Nami and Heather scooted up to take control of it's steering. "Roar of the Shadow Dragon!"

"Black God's Bomb!" They both fired their attacks in opposite directions, taking out the golems that threatened them. The Black God's Bomb however, created a recoil that heavily rocked the boat, nearly flipping them over as Luke and Tak quickly sat back down so they wouldn't fall in. An exchange of high fives between the two males occurred as they continued onward.

Sting, Rogue and Rufus were being accompanied by Kagura. With more golems appearing, Kagura took over the steering while the Sabers attacked, keeping them at bay. "Holy Ray!" Sting yelled as he gathered a bunch of his white magic between his hands. He then fired it towards the group of golems in front of them, knocking them all down and destroying them. Kagura led the boat forward as they all sat back down, almost missing the newly formed whirlpool in front of them.

"Watch out!" Rogue yelled. "Left!?"

"Right!?"

They came to a draw, two people picking left and two picked right, causing them to stay right on track and entering the whirpool straight on. Sting desperately searched for a way out as they spun within the magma whirpool, soon to be sucked in if nothing was done.

"Everyone hang on." Kagura exclaimed. With her magic, she then shifted the gravity, the boat now lightly floating out of the death trap and back on it's path. The second they landed however, another enormous wave manifested from under them, pushing the boat into the air and flipping it over. Sting, Kagura and Rogue were able to grab back onto the canoe as it descended. Rufus however, was out of range. Sting turned to the memory make mage, and reached his hand out desperately. "Rufus!" He called out to him. The memory maker was only inches away, and he turned his body to Sting, trying to reach for his comrade's hand. He was almost there until...

Splash. The boat landed back in the lava, and so did Rufus.

"Rufus!" Sting and Rogue cried out as their boat left their guild mate in the beyond boiling hot lava. His hat was the last thing they saw before that too sunk into the river. "Rufus!"

"What happened!?" Natsu asked as he could hear Sting's cries.

"I think Rufus..." Lucy stopped her sentence short. Natsu bared his teeth as he lowered his head. He then raised it back, remaining focused as he led the steering, dodging the incoming whirlpools and riding the waves that appeared.

"It seems like we're already halfway there!" Reve called out to his group. "Don't jinx us. Taya added. "This is Maggie we're talking about. I'm sure there's something up ahead that we haven't come across yet."

"Right." Jaxon nodded. "Whenever you're ready for that boost Reve let me know."

"I'll let you know alright Jaxon. I won't let any of you die while you're with me. When the time is right, I'll call upon you. Until then, Waiston! We need to pick up speed. Can your ice handle it!?"

"Too easy!" Waiston replied. He then spotted a floating rock coming up on his right. "Roar, of the Frozen Dragon!" He fired his roar towards that rock, and past it as well, creating a slide made of ice. "Okay everyone. To the right!"

They all followed Reve's command, pushing to the right until the ramped the magma rock in the way and entered the frozen slide. The four of them picked up a tremendous speed, and at the end of the slide was another ramp. "Hang on!" He yelled, and the boat immediately took flight into the air. "Now Jaxon!"

"On it!" Jaxon yelled in reply. He then turned to the back of the boat, edged himself to the end of it, and then slapped the rear of the canoe, creating a magic seal that fired off a heavy gust of wind that was now being used like a rocket booster. Their boat now gave off the illusion of flying, and with the speed boost from the ice slide and Jaxon's wind, it was only a matter of time until they passed everyone, and then crashed landed at the base of the volcano. After a forceful tumble, the four sat up, Reve rubbing his head and groaning before realizing that his group was safe and finished. "We did it."

"Good call Reve." Waiston said as he slowly stood up.

"Thanks for trusting me." He replied. "I just wanted to get off of that as soon as possible."

Reve then squinted as he looked back up the mountain. "Man, they still have a ways to go. And those golems."

"So I guess we just have to wait huh?" Taya asked. Reve then requiped a sniper into his hands. "You three can wait. I'll provide them with some support!"

"Not bad." Rugal said as he appeared behind the four. He gave them a one man ovation, clapping for their performance.

"So you're next huh Rugal?" Taya asked him, even though she was well aware of the answer.

"I am, Tayakata. And my game will...wipe the /board/ clean. Just wait and see."

"Hang on! We're picking up speed!" Natsu yelled. The boat began to race uncontrollably, causing the mages to hang on for dear life as they rushed down the mountain side.

The same went on for Nami and Heather's boat, picking up speed without permission as the slope became steeper. Though it wasn't a race, the boats were nearly neck and neck as they rushed towards the base. It seemed like a clear path with just a few bothersome golems in the way, until yards in front of them, a tsunami sized wave of lava towered over them. "Burning Tsunami..." Takeru whispered, putting together the reason why Maggie called her event such a thing. The ginormous wave of lava began to rush towards the mages, and desperately they all tried to slam on the brakes they didn't have, trying to turn their boats around to avoid the wave.

"Hard to the right!" Takeru yelled.

"Wait!" Nami protested, but it was too late. The other three pushed right, and the boat began to spin out of control as it glided towards the tsunami. "Don't go away from it!" Mason yelled. He, Roy, Lyon and Chelia continued forward, slowly climbing the tsunami. "The only way to survive is to get over it!"

"We have no choice!" Gray yelled as everyone else agreed, turning their boats back around to face the giant wave.

"It's what stands in our way of finishing this event! The base of the mountain is right behind this monster wave. So...

Lets climb it!"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Revenge on a Board Game!

"We have to climb it!" Gray yelled. Everyone turned their boats accordingly. They all then began to climb the violent tsunami. One after another they raced towards the top, everything going surprisingly smooth so far.

"Golems to our left!" Lyon yelled. Mason then stood up on the boat, and pulled out his slingshot.

"What are you doing?" Roy asked him as he stood up as well.

"You're stronger than I am Roy. Keep steering the boat or we'll flip!" Mason replied as he took aim.

"There's too many Mason! Sit down or-" Before Roy could finish, five magic seals appeared in front of the golems, and Mason pulled back on his sling shot and fired off a single pellet that ended up splitting into five different bullets. They bullets then ran through the magic seals, turning into ice right before slamming into their targets and eliminating the golems. "So maybe his training has been paying off." Roy said to himself as they both sat back down. Mason then placed his hands back on the side of the boat. "I'll take an apology whenever you're ready."

The super team of Erza, Laxus, Mirajane, and Wendy were the first up the tsunami, everyone well behind them. As they reached the peak, the four swayed hard to the right. Laxus then used his brute strength to push the boat forward. "Hold on!" He yelled as they picked up speed. Finally, at the top, the ramped the tsunami, but the second they did, their boat flipped over, leaving the four airborne. "The boat!" Wendy yelled as it plummeted towards the lava. They were stranding in the air. "Shit!" Laxus cursed as he looked for a way of survival. "And the finish was right there!"

"You should know better than to give up by now, Laxus."

He looked up, realizing he was now being carried by Mirajane, who was in her Satan Soul form. "Mira..!"

She simply smiled as she continued to fly both her and Laxus over to the mountain base. Beside them, Erza was in her Black Wing armor, carrying Wendy as she turned to smile at Mirajane for her quick thinking.

Eventually making it to the base of the mountain, the four of them joined Reve and the others. Wendy fell to her seat, and let out a long huff. "I'm exhausted."

"Don't let them see you sweat kid." Reve advised her as he pulled the trigger to his sniper, the magic bullet piercing a golem right through it's skull.

"The others will make it I'm sure." Mirajane says as she reverts back to her normal form along with Erza.

"Of course." Erza added. "They're in good hands."

"We're going left!" Natsu yelled. "No, go to the right! There's no golems over there!" Gray retaliated.

"Stay straight to pick up speed!" Gajeel exclaimed, adding in his own two cents. "Guys! There's no time just pick a spot! We have to be on the same page!" Lucy yelled, trying to equalize the argument. The three boys continued to fight over which way was the route to take as they neared the summit of the tsunami. As they argued, the boat rocked vigorously, causing Juvia to become agitated. "Shut up!" She yelled, causing them to stop their fight. "Juvia says we're going through the middle! Everyone lean forward!"

"Who made her captain of this ship?" Natsu murmured. Juvia then turned around with a monstrous look upon her face, causing Natsu to comically break out into a profuse sweat. "G-G-Going straight then!"

"Everyone, lean forward!"

On Juvia's command, the others began to lean forward, helping their boat pick up speed as they began to climb to the peak of the tsunami.

Before them, Evanee, Kairi, and Ceaser take off into the air. Just like Laxus and the others, the lost the boat, but also like them, the take over mages quickly came in handy as Ceaser turned to his Horus takeover, sprouting wings and now carrying Evanee over the remaining molten river. They were the third ones to finish as they landed on the mountain base. Then came Rylo, Melanie and Alexander. Losing their boat just like the others, the wingless group slowly began to descend towards the lava. "Uh! Rylo!" Melanie called out while flailing. While falling, Rylo rubbed the bottom of his chin, pondering on a way out of certain death. "Hmm..." He then snapped his fingers. "Got it!" He yelled as he pulled Melanie and Alexander towards him. He then took off his top hat, and turned around to aim it at the tsunami. "Hang on now." He said cooly, and before they could react, a giant gust of wind fired from the hat's opening, propelling them forward towards the mountain base. It was a close call, but the three just made it before touching the molten river. Rylo then calmly placed his hat back on his head, as if he knew he was going to make it. "There! All safe."

"You had no idea did you?" Evanee asked, already knowing the answer.

"None at all." Rylo answered with faux enthusiasm, causing Evanee to face palm. She then turned to Ceaser, who was once again digging through his ear in boredom. "Ceaser, thanks for carrying me across."

"Huh?" The cinnamon haired male turned towards her, a lost expression on his features as he pulled his pinky out of his ear. "When did I carry you?"

Evanee palmed her face once again, shaking her head embarrassingly as those who weren't Twilight Zone members looked at them questioningly.

"Are you the only sane one?" Taya asked her. Evanee pointed to Kairi and Alexander. "These two keep me from joining the crazies."

"Kairi." Reve said with a small smile.

"What's going on bro?" She asked with a nod. The conversation ended there as Reve fired off a few more of his sniper bullets, taking out the golems that stood at the peak of the tsunami.

Evanee's eyes then widened. "Hold on! Where's Flynn!?"

Rylo and the others looked around before the magician answered. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since he ran off from the first event.. Did he...?"

"I don't think so." Alexander added in. "Maggie said Tobias got six kills, and we know the six that are no longer with us."

"That idiot." Evanee retorted. "Slow the hell down, we don't even know if you're okay! Stupid!"

Rylo shrugged. "Flynn's always been known for such antics. I'm sure with his speed he's probably waiting for the next event to start. Or he's probably even past that."

"Yeah but he's wasting magic. Who knows what's ahead? No one. Oh well, we'll see him eventually."

"Everyone's losing their boats! Lets show them how to do it Blues!"

"I'm in, Bacchus!" The two lead the charge as the leaned forward. Reaching the peak, they ascended into the air as well. The boat seemed to slip away from then just like the others, until Blues used a water whip to pull their vessel back towards them, allowing all of them to hop back in it as they splashed down into the river. "Wild!" Bacchus yelled in success as they came to the mountain base.

"Four!" Everyone added out of habit.

Roy and Mason were up next, carrying Lyon and Chelia with them. "I already have a plan!" Lyon added. "Follow my lead. Chelia, I need you at the rear."

"Yeah!" She nodded. The boat then went airborne and away from their group. Lyon quickly took his ice make stance. "Ice make: Dragon!"

In the next instant, the four of them were on top of the ice dragon as it flew towards the mountain base. However, it began to quickly melt due to the extreme heat of the volcano. "Now Chelia!"

"Sky God's Howl!"

The Sky God Slayer fired off a torrent of black winds from her mouth, helping the dragon propel them forward and just making it to the mountain base with the others.

"It's now or never!" Luke and Natsu yelled simultaneously. Their boats were the only two left until the event was over. At the same time, they took off into the air. "Happy, grab Lucy!"

"What about you!?" Lucy yelled as Happy followed directions, clinging on to Lucy's back. Natsu turned to Gray with a grin. "I'll be fine!"

Gray then returned the grin and slammed his hands downward, creating a narrow slope that led all the way to the volcano's base. Natsu and Gray quickly touched down on the slope and began their slide down it, Gray holding Juvia in his arms as he did so. Just like Lyon's ice dragon, the frozen slope quickly began to melt.

"They're not gonna make it!" Waiston yelled.

"Yes they will!" Wendy yelled back. Gajeel and Lily safely crossed with Lucy and Happy as the remaining three Fairy Tail mages rushed to the base.

On the White Eclipse side, thanks to his copy abilities, Luke mimicked Gray's idea, and the four remaining White Eclipse mages rushed down the icy slope, racing against the melting ice with Nami bringing up the rear.

"Almost there!" Luke yelled as the mountain base came into clear view. As if it was that easy.

From underneath their slide, the lava started to bubble vigorously. In that next second, the giant serpent from before surfaced from under the molten river, breaking White Eclipse's ice slide in half. Luke and Heather were already across. Takeru and Nami both tried to put on the breaks but it was no use on the slippery slope. The lava serpent waited at the end of their half of the broken slope with it's mouth open, ready to eat. "Tak! Duck!" Nami yelled. He did just that, and the brunette fired a random ray of light into the throat of the giant snake, causing it to writhe in pain and sink back down into the lava. Or so it seemed...

"We can make that jump!" Nami yelled. "I'm sure!" Takeru responded. Out in front, he leaped, just clearing the gap as he landed on the other side; smooth sailing for him as he was eventually going to make it to the mountain base. Nami then leaped after him, but halfway through the jump, before she could react, the giant serpent shot back up, snapping it's jaw shut as it devoured Nami hole.

Back at the base of the mountain, Taya was frozen still, her eyes completely widened as she witnessed her own sister devoured by the beast. "Nami..."

Taya tried to take off running back towards the river, only to be held back by Reve and Sidney. "Get of me!" She yelled. "Nami! NAMI!"

Reve held on to her tightly until she finally gave up, breaking down as she fell to her knees sobbing into the gunslingers chest.

The giant snake then turned it's attention towards Gray, Juvia and Natsu. Natsu was out and front, and the serpent quickly raced towards him. "Natsu! It's coming your way!"

"Water Nebula!" From Gray's arms, Juvia fired a powerful blast of her water magic towards the serpent, hitting it directly between the eyes and pushing it back. Once it shook off the blast, the serpent then turned it's direction towards the two behind Natsu. "Juvia!" Gray yelled as she tossed her forward, almost directly behind Natsu. "Gray-Sama! What are you..!?"

"Ice cannon!" Gray then held the ice cannon on his shoulder, taking aim and then firing the blast towards the serpent. It slammed against the snake's jaw, causing it to flail about. The snake then coiled under the slope, and sprung back up, heading for the slide and Juvia. Just able to grab her, Natsu pulled Juvia towards him at the last second, causing the serpent to miss her. All that was left was Gray.

"I'm not going to lose to this thing! Ice make:..."

The serpent charged towards Gray, devouring his half of the slope with each chomp. The two charged each other, and finally Gray called out his attack. "Cold Excalibur!" In his hands a giant sword of ice manifested. He then leaped with perfect timing, right over the serpent. Gray then stabbed the giant lava snake in the back of it's neck, using it to slide down it's body until the other half of the downward slope was visible. "Nows my chance!" Abandoning the Cold Excalibur, Gray leaped for the icy slope.

"He's got it!" Wendy yelled as Natsu and Juvia just made it to the base of the volcano. Juvia quickly turned around to see an airborne Gray just inches away from the slide. Her smile suddenly turned into a look of despair. The serpents tail rose from the molten river, and before Gray could touch down on the frozen slide, the beast swung it's tail, slamming right into Gray and pushing him far away from his only hope of making it across.

"Gray..! No! Don't do it!"

As if the beast was about to listen to Erza plea. With Gray trapped under the tail, it plunged back into the river, taking the ice make mage with it.

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia cried out, immediately she began wailing over the lost of the one she loved, Gajeel placing a hand on her shoulder until she turned around to hug him.

"The good news is he's still alive remember?" Gajeel said to her. "I know it was painful to watch, but you'll see him again, Juvia. Just hang in there okay?"

She continued crying, trying to quiet down as another portal opened before them. Out stepped Rugal, shaking his head. "Only three Maggie? I'm going to top that easily."

The green haired dimensional mage of Tartaros looked around at the group of mages left. "I can see a lot of you are emotionally distraught. So I've decided to give you all a half an hour to recover. I'll be back then." He grinned, and then walked back through his portal, leaving the others there."

.

.

.

"Dammit!" Maggie yelled as she pounded the table with both of her fists. "Only three!? What lucky blokes! I had them!"

"You could of at least tried to kill Taya," Kiora said, adding to the frustration as she played with the hell hound Cerberus, vigorously rubbing his head and jaws.

"Shut it Kiora!" Maggie seethed. Tobias kept to himself, keeping a smug grin once he relaxed he was still in the lead of their contest. Ruika was off to the right, sitting next to Arcturus and filing her nails. "Sucks. Should of got then while you could, because Rugal is about to clear them out actually. It'll be a miracle if there's anyone left after this next game."

"Thank you, Ruika." Rugal says as he appears back through the portal. "It's a game that no one can beat me in, and they'll all soon feel the ultimate defeat."

"...You're playing them in chess..." Kiora replied with a blank expression. "How stale."

"Not just any game of chess. Their lives will be on the line with each move they make."

"No shit." Kiora added once more. "That's the point of all of this. To kill them."

Kiora gave an innocent smile to the now aggravated Rugal. She the turned to Daityas, who was nose deep into Zeref's book. "He's still reading huh? I bet I could swing my scythe at him and he wouldn't even notice it coming."

"I'm more alert than all of you." Daityas surprisingly replied. "It seems I'm the only one that noticed the kid that came in behind Rugal."

Daityas pointed without raising his head, and the mages looked over to see Mason climbing to the cage that had the fallen mages inside. "Hey!" Rugal called out in an angered tone. Mason froze, quietly shaking as Rugal grabbed him by his collar through a portal and pulled him in. He now appeared beside Rugal, in his grasp. "Did you sneak through my portal again!?"

"...Do you mean the one you just pulled me through? Then no, you pulled me through that one."

Rugal raised Mason to his level. "Don't get smart with me you little shit! This next game is based off of how you humiliated me when I lost my memory. I hope you're ready to let your teammates down!"

Rugal then began walking towards his first portal.

"What about giving them half an hour?" Ruika asked. "Screw that!" He called back. "This kid ruined that for them!"

As Rugal left, Sora appeared, wearing an apron and oven mitts. "Why was Rugal yelling?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it love." Maggie answered. "Just go back to getting ready for your event."

Sora puffed out her cheeks. "Don't forget you have to do it too!"

"Yeah yeah squirt my stuff is in the oven." Kiora said as she nonchalantly waved Sora away.

"It's been in the oven for three hours." Tobias added. Kiora then side glared the mage. "You would run your mouth around the same time to feed the dog."

Tobias gulped as he turned away from her, trying to keep a straight face.

"So the score is Tobias six, and Maggie three right?"

"Yes sir."

Daityas then chuckled. "Maggie lost to Tobias."

She sneered, but didn't reply to his smart remark.

"There's still a lot to go. I don't want anymore than fifteen here when it's time to start the fights. So you all better step it up. Rugal's up so lets see what he can produce."

.

.

.

"What do you think is next?" Sting asked. Everyone was just beginning to calm down. The tears from Juvia finally died down as she took on a new outlook. Determination. No one had an answer, not that one was needed as Rugal and Mason reappeared through the portal.

"Mason!" Roy shouted.

"This is his last warning. Next time we kill him, and he won't be revived. But, I need him for this game, so if everyone would follow me.."

Rugal the be right back into the portal, dragging Mason with him. Everyone quickly followed, and as they entered, everything went completely black. Once they reached the other side, everyone found themselves in front of a giant chess board. At the south end of that board, Mason found himself sitting on a chair that towered over the board itself.

"Welcome!" Rugal called out from the other side. "To a simple game of chess! It's me versus you, brat. So prepare yourself."

Mason stared at the board in front of him. "...So where are my pieces."

"Oh. Did I forget to mention?" Rugal then pointed to everyone to the side. "They are your pieces! Choose carefully, you're gonna need some firepower for this fight! You can handle it though since it's only a normal chess game with a little twist. Oh, and since you're not going to win, I'll go ahead and tell you that once you lose all sixteen of your pieces, you'll have to pick sixteen more until you have no pieces left. So pick your pieces brat, and lets get started."

Mason began to stare at his comrades. Looking them over, he began to scan through them, trying to decide which were the best pieces. "I need to balance out in case I lose. Wait, with people like Roy, Sidney, and that Evanee chick, I won't lose! I'll make sure to add those three now."

With a floating board in front of him, Mason hesitantly pressed their faces, and they were quickly transported against their will, to the board right beside them. Roy looked around, realizing where he was as he could still see the other mages below him to his left. "Okay." Mason began again. "I'm definitely going to want Natsu...and Reve. Oh and Kagura!"

The three mages that were called out enter the board making a total of six so far. "Only two left to cover the front line. I'll definitely go with the Twin Dragons then!" Upon command, Sting and Rogue are transported, taking the last two spaces on the front line.

"Okay..." Mason looked up towards the patient Rugal, then back to his board. "Now for the back seven and the king. My back seven first. Tristan, Trinity, Erza, Laxus, Mirajane, Bacchus, and Kuro; all surrounding Wendy!"

They lined up accordingly to how Mason selected them. Tristan and Trinity were his rooks on the corner, on the second spaces laid Kuro and Laxus as the knights. The two bishops were now Erza and Bacchus, as Mirajane took the queen's space.

"Alright..! I'm ready to go!" He yelled back towards Rugal.

"Hm.~" Rugal hummed to himself as his pieces appeared on the board; normal pieces, just life sized. Rugal then gave Mason a slight, uninterested wave. "You get to have the privilege to go first, so please make it good."

Mason then began to think to himself, a small grin appearing on his face appearing as he diagnosed the situation. "There's always a twist, but Rugal didn't know he spoiled it when he said I was going to need firepower in this event. Probably too excited to get his revenge on me. So in that case, I'll have Roy charge out and test the strength of his pieces! I mean, they're only pawns!" He then shouted. "Alright Roy! Two spaces forward!"

Nothing happened. Mason then scratched his head before looking back to Rugal. "Oh yeah, they can't hear you. No one can. Use the board."

Mason looked back down at the floating board in front of him. "I control their movements?" He shrugged, then clicked on Roy's face. A path then lit up on his board, showing Roy's only available move since he was a pawn. It was the move he wanted anyways, and Mason clicked on it, causing Roy to walk forward.

"Whoa...! How am I moving!?" Roy asked as he stepped forward. "It seems Mason is controlling us." Evanee replied. "I have to trust a little kid to not get us killed..."

"Hey. Mason has this." Roy replied. "Just watch him."

Rugal then moved his first piece accordingly, the pawn that would be beside Roy's reflecting paw moved foward two spaces as well.

"Just as I thought. He's trying to get his stronger pieces out to handle Roy. Well we're going to take out a few of his pawns first!"

Mason moved Roy forward another space, now only one space away from taking out Rugal's first pawn. Meanwhile, instead of moving that piece forward to meet Roy, Rugal moved a different pawn, the one in front of the king in order to give his queen freedom to move.

"What's he doing?" Tristan asked. "He's just moving Roy, has he not played this game before?"

"Maybe he sees something we don't?" Natsu asked while scratching the back of his head.

"Like you know what's going on.." Laxus stated.

"Time to put the pressure on!" Mason yelled as he took yet another space forward with Roy. "I know the twist to this game! You gave it away earlier, and now Roy is going to wreak havoc!"

Rugal slowly began to grin, causing Mason to become cautious to his ability to remain calm. Rugal then highlighted the pawn closest to Roy. "Pawn, take out the enemy."

"Roy will win that fight easily!" Mason yelled. "He's too strong and it's just a pawn!"

"My have you misjudged me. I didn't think you would fall for such a ruse. Maybe it's I, that has overestimated you, Mason. You want to know the twist to this game!? The twist is, there is none! It's just a normal game of chess! And your ace, Roy, is nothing but a pawn just like the others!"

The pawn slowly drew his sword, Roy unable to move. Mason's eyes widened as he watched Rugal's piece slash right through Roy's chest, causing him to disappear from this existence.

"...R-Roy...I thought..." Mason was in absolute shock, arms shaking from what just took place as the realization kicked in. He killed his ace.

Everyone else on the board and off looked on in shock. "Did he, do that on purpose?" Bacchus asked.

"I'm..I'm sure he had a reason of sacrificing Roy...I'm sure." Erza stammered.

"Rugal is already in his head and we just started." Evanee protested. "Our fate relies on a sixteen year old who is too emotionally and mentally weak to lead us to victory without many casualties. So you all better hold on, because we might not make it out here alive."

"Roy..." Mason stared at his board, not wanting to come to reality of what happened.

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Rugal says as a magic seal appears under the mischief mage. A surge of lightning then runs through him, violently shocking him and causing him to scream in pain before falling to his knees. "Every time you lose a piece, one of Tobias' lightning shocks you. How strong the lightning is depends on the piece importance, so I hope that one didn't hurt you too bad or you're in for a long...or short match."

Mason slowly made his way back up to his feet. "Roy, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. But for now, I can't let the others to join you."

Though he tried to psyche himself up to play, Mason's hands shook as he tried to decided which piece to move. "I...I don't want to hurt anyone else... I can't move them..!"

"Come on Mason! Where's that confidence!? Do you need your ocular magic for this? Do you want to alter my emotions so you can move any piece you want? Well too bad! Welcome to Hell on a Chess Board, Mason!

Where you decide your friends' fate!"


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Sacrifices and Strategies! The Tower of Shadows!

"Huh? So what's this now?" Kiora asked Daityas as she leaned over the desk. He sighed, and patted the book next to him. "Once again Kiora, this is Zeref's diary. A book within the book of Zeref. If I read correctly, it has the power to recollect any magical event that took place."

"Any magical event that took place huh?" Kiora blinked a few times, and then raised a finger. "Like Zeref's apocalypse!?"

"Like that, except I'm not ever using it for that. Zeref is forever out of the picture. In fact, I'm not really going to use this book for anything. I was just fascinated about it once I read up on it."

"Well, there is one thing you could use it for." Maggie chimed in as she was spotted sitting on a table, swinging her feet. "Mithril is dead...so how about-"

"I know where you're going Maggie." Daityas said, cutting her off. "But ironically, this book doesn't have the ability to revive. It just replays events that you've written down for you to have the chance to change them, and possibly the future."

"Hm.." Maggie shrugged, and then turned back to the screen, not saying anything else on the matter as they all continued to watch the chess match between Rugal and Mason.

"Keep your head in the game Mason! Our lives are in your hands!"

Even though Evanee exclaimed it, her voice couldn't be heard by the mischief mage. Mason was still shaking, his hands too jittery for him to think properly. "Okay...calm down... I have to think of what to do from here.."

He gulped, and then illuminated Evanee's piece coincidentally. A path the lit up as well, showing her possible moves. Two spots forward, and Mason ended his turn with the Twilight Zone Ace.

"I'll just play it safe until I can think of something..."

He wiped his head from the nervous sweat. Rugal on the other hand, nearly grinned as he quickly moved his next piece, and ended his turn. Mason clenched his teeth. "What's wrong kid?" The dimensional mage asked him. "You're sweating profusely over there. We've just begun."

"Shut up." He murmured to himself. Mason then highlighted Sidney Castle, and moved him the same way he did Evanee, ending his turn once more. Seconds later, the confident Rugal made and completed his move, keeping the pressure on Mason once more.

"I can't do this... It's too much pressure!" Mason exhaled deeply, hunching over as sweat continued to bead from his head. "What if I kill someone again!? I already lost Roy...what if I..."

"Do you quit?" Rugal asked him. Mason slowly looked up. "Huh?"

"If you quit, I can easily replace you with one of your teammates. The games will go on with or without you, runt. So go ahead and suffer a humiliation that's worse than being spat on. Go ahead and forfeit."

Mason stopped, actually pondering the thought of Rugal's question. "If I forfeit, maybe he'll pick someone who's good at this game.. But if I forfeit, I'll be killed I'm sure...I don't want that.." Mason took a few more seconds. "...No. I'm not quitting. I'm going to win this event! Watch and see!"

He rose back up to a straight stance, and continued playing, illuminating Sting's piece before moving him forward to end his turn. "I just have to pick my spots. Find my openings. We have all the time in the world, so there's no need to rush into anything!"

A slow smirk appeared on Mason's face, and it caused Rugal to let out a "Tch" as he did. "A confident runt aren't you? No matter, lets play."

Move after move was made, yet no casualties were yet taken. A total of ten moves were made until...

The "pieces" were now scattered all across the board. A lot of the mages now stood in hostile situations with no way of fighting back due to the magic restriction on them. Mason observed the board carefully, looking for an opening without hurting any of his comrades. Finally, his eyes lit up as he found one. "Alright! Bacchus! Take out Rugal's knight!"

Bacchus turned to his right, and slid halfway across the board. His patented grin came across his face as his magic restriction was then released for the moment. "Finally! It's time to break this thing apart! Wild!" As he roared, Bacchus reared back his right arm, and slammed an open palm against the horse head of the knight, causing it to crumble to pieces. The playing field was even again.

"Dammit...! No matter." Rugal shrugged off Mason's successful attack, and then observed the board himself.

"What's wrong!?" Mason called out to him, distorting his concentration. "Normally you would already have a move! What's taking so long now!?"

Rugal just bared his teeth before dismissing Mason and his taunt. "There's no where for me to attack yet." He huffed again, and then moved a piece, calling it his turn.

"My turn again." Mason hummed out as he highlighted Natsu. "Too busy looking to attack, you didn't defend your other knight. Natsu!"

"Alright!" The Salamander yelled. He then literally ran down the highlighted path, leaping up with a fiery right fist cocked back. "Iron Fist, of the Fire Dragon!" With a hard swing, Natsu crushed the knight piece into nothing. He then turned to his comrades, smiling from ear to ear. "Alright!" Kuro shouted as he clutched his fists. "Mason's doing it!"

"We may come out of this unscathed!" Rogue added in. "I doubt it..." Trinity rebutted. "I don't think Rugal is done yet. Besides, Mason's pieces, us, are valuable to him, so any sacrificial strategies that he might know are out the window. Rugal on the other hand...he has no emotional attachment to his chess pieces. He can let any of them die if it sets him up for the win. Remember, all he has to do is trap the king piece and he wins. We could all die instantly.."

Rogue lowered his head as Rugal made his next move. Rugal slid a pawn right between Laxus and Tristan, ending his turn. "Huh?" Evanee turned back, raising a brow at the move. "Why there? That's an easy kill.."

Her eyes then lit up as she turned back to the queen piece that was lined up perfectly with the pawn. "Mason...don't!"

"Another easy one!" Mason yelled with confidence. "Laxus! You're up!"

Without any control to say no, Laxus turned to the pawn with a lightning magic infused fist and crushed the pawn into nothing. "Mason laughed as he rubbed the bottom of his nose. "Slowly but surely! You're losing your pieces Rugal!"

He didn't respond. Instead, Rugal slowly began to laugh, catching Mason's attention. "Y-you're laughing bluff isn't scaring anyone! You're on the ropes!"

"Am I, Mason? Well then, thanks to that move...here I come, off of those ropes!"

Rugal didn't hesitate. He picked his queen, and the piece made it's way to Laxus. Without a moments notice, the queen piece unsheathed it's sword, and stabbed the thunder dragon right into his chest, causing Laxus to fall limp instantly.

"Laxus!" Mirajane, Erza, Natsu and Juvia all yelled in unison as they watched, horrified as Laxus' body disappeared from play. Mira covered her mouth with her hand as she watched the site. Natsu then turned back to Mason, who was being electrocuted in the process, and though he couldn't hear The Salamander, Natsu voiced his anger anyways. "What are you doing!?"

"Quiet down fool. He can't hear you and I'm sure he's upset too." Natsu turned back to a calm Evanee, who stood on her space with her arms crossed. "Don't tell me what to do!" He spatted back towards her.

"Sheesh, I'm glad you're not the one controlling us right now. We all would be dead. The second Mason puts his emotions aside, will be the same second we win this event and move on. He was doing well for a bit, but with your guild mate dying, it's going to set us back for a bit. Be ready, because here comes a storm of kills on Rugal's side."

Natsu listened to Evanee's prophetic words, eyes widened as he stared at her like she was some sort of evil being. "H-how can you say that so calmly?"

"...You can't change the inevitable. So you may as well brace yourself for it instead."

On cue, Mason made his next move, moving Trinity forward a few spaces. "I need to think...think Mason! Think of a-"

"You better pay attention to your current move as much as your next one." Rugal says, cutting Mason's train of thought off. "Bishop."

From a diagonal angle, the bishop charged and took out Trinity in the same fashion the queen did Laxus. Tristan refused to look as he cringed at the sound of the stab, Trinity's body disappearing a second after.

"That's three." Tobias noted from back in the waiting room. "He's now tied with Maggie."

"Shut up Tobias we can count! Bloody hell I don't need a reminder!"

Tobias then whispered. "Someone's upset."

"Here it comes." Evanee sighed.

"Thanks for that gift!" Rugal exclaimed. "That wasn't even part of the rampage my queen is about to go on, but you just made it so much more satisfying! Keep at it Mason!"

"Queens rampage?" Mason took a look at the actual board, noting that Rugal's strongest piece, was in the middle of everything. He was screwed. No matter which piece he moved, someone was going to die. From the queen's standpoint, Natsu, Mirajane, Juvia, Rogue, and Kuro were all in it's path, and none of them could reach the piece themselves. "You're trapped kid. All you can do now, is save one."

Mason lowered his head, clenching his bored in frustration.

"I wonder who it's gonna be..." Kuro said as he looked around. Rugal's queen was waiting for Mason's turn to end. As if it had a mind of it's own, the queen the cuts her eyes towards the Fire Make mage, causing him to jump. "GH! Not me!"

Mason made up his mind, moving Natsu out of the way - a forward step onto the next piece. Rugal then began to grin once more. "Now which one should go? I know. Lets pick, the dragon!"

"Rogue!" Sting called out, but it was to no effect as the queen slid right by the defenseless shadow dragon, slicing him in half before his body vanished completely. "Rogue!" Sting cried out again. He then clenched a fist. "Mason whatever you do, just give me the queen!"

"Be careful for what you wish for.." Sidney said as he stood next to Kagura, both of them yet to move after so many turns.

Mason moved again, moving Juvia out of the circle of death that Rugal's queen created. That didn't spare the others as Rugal's queen was on the attack again, rushing towards Kuro.

"No..."

A harsh swing of the sword, and Kuro was gone just like Rogue.

"This is too much to watch!" Reve says as he looked away from his friend Kuro, trying to contain his tears. "She just sliced him in half like it was nothing..."

"I...I'm losing it..." Mason began to shiver again, mostly from all the volts his body has taken at this point. He began to slowly pant, gasping for proper air. "That queen is killing me. I need to do something about it! But...I can't chase it, or Rugal will gain the upper hand. The only thing j can do is...sacrifice a piece... But...they aren't pieces. They're humans. Mages...they have feelings too. They aren't just pawns. But I have to, it's the only way..."

Mason stood back up, illuminating Juvia's body. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? What's Mason doing?" Juvia asked as she turned to face the queen.

"...He isn't...!" Erza yelled.

"It's necessary." Sidney replied.

"Stop!" Erza yelled back anyways, but it was too late. Juvia was on an uncontrolled march towards the queen, stopping just two squares short from her.

"You think I'm gonna fall for that?" Rugal asked with a laugh. "You think placing the water girl in front of my queen is just gonna entice my bloodlust and go after her when...when you left your demon wide open!"

Mirajane's eyes widened, along with the others. The queen then turned to her, and repeated her murderous actions as she did against the other two. Mirajane, was no longer in the contest.

"Mira..." A shaky call escaped Natsu, unable to bring in the fact that his guild was quickly disappearing from the board. "Mira... Laxus..."

Mason watched as Mirajane vanished. And after taking in the electric shock that came from her loss, the mischief mage continued on, as if he didn't feel an inch of sympathy for her. He moved Sidney forward, away from the queen and near the rest of Rugal's pieces. He also left Juvia completely open, again. Rugal then turned the queen back to the water mage. "Now that the demon was no longer protecting her, I'll take that piece now."

"Stop!" Natsu yelled out. He tried to move - trying to use his magic, but it was no use. In a blink of an eye, Juvia was gone. Natsu couldn't take anymore as he fell to his hands and knees. His eyes quickly watered as a stream fell from his right one.

"Keep it together Natsu..." Erza whispered as she too tried to fight back what was happening. "I can't..! I can't! He's killing us all!"

"He's also winning..."

Natsu angrily turned to Sidney. "How!? We're losing everyone! How is he winning!"

"You really shouldn't speak when you lack the logic and intelligence this game requires." Evanee chimed in. She then turned to Natsu, staring at the dragon slayer once more. "Remember what I said. The second Mason cuts off all emotions to this game, is the second he'll win. He's done it. Rugal was too busy with killing us to notice, and you were too busy crying. Without a keen eye, you can't see it without looking at the board from an overhead view, but Mason has Rugal right where he wants him. Or at least..." As she spoke, her space illuminated, causing her to walk forward a space. "He does now."

"Hm?" Rugal stopped grinning. "Why such a wasteful move? I mean, I have no one to attack this turn, but he could have...wait..am I...!?"

Mason, while panting from the electric shock, slowly smirked towards Rugal. "Checkmate."

"What!? When did that happen!?"

"Heh...while you were busy going on that killing spree of yours with the queen, I set everyone up to surround the king you left alone. He can't make a single move, and Natsu is right in his path." Mason then began to shout. "Natsu! I know you can't forgive me for leading your friends to horrible ends, but if you will please do me the honors of getting us off this board!"

With his pleas, Natsu's space lit up. It then lead him to the king. Just to add insult to injury, Natsu erupted into his Lightning Flame Dragon mode. "Iron fist... Of the Lightning Flame Dragon!"

He reared back, and slammed the fist right into the king's sternum, causing it to crumble into nothing. At that moment, the magic restriction was released. Evanee and the others examined their hands as they could feel their magic return to them. "Our magic is back."

"Good, Mason did it. I'm glad no one else was-"

Erza was cut off by the sound of a war cry. She turned to see a white drive Sting launching a fist into the abdomen of the queen piece, Alain firing a white ray through the other side for good measure. The piece crumbled into nothing as Rugal stepped down from his platform. "Whatever, destroy them all. The game is over anyways."

"We'll decline. We're saving our magic. Sting just had to let out some pain is all." Sidney replied as he hopped off the board to join the others who weren't taking place on the event. Sting stepped down as well. He was now alone - the last Sabertooth member left in the twisted Tartaros games. Celebration didn't happen, as everyone was too busy mourning their losses in silence. Rugal then opened a portal and walked towards it. "Well, it's been fun. I'll take my seven kills and head out now."

"I'm not letting you get off with that!" Natsu yelled as he rushed towards Rugal. He then fired off a quick Fire Dragon's Roar towards the green haired Tartaros mage, but it was too late as Rugal stepped through his portal and disappeared. Natsu gave a hopeless chase, then leaned his head back to yell out to the Tartaros mages. "Come out and fight us! Screw these games! We're right here!"

"He's lost it.." Reve said to the remainder of his team.

"Can you blame him?" Rylo asked. "He's lost half of his guild already."

"It's nothing new." Reve retorted, causing Rylo to raise a brow. "Fairy Tail is known for losing early, leaving the burden on their usual mages. It's almost like they do it on purpose."

The second Reve finished his statement, he found a flaming fist against his jaw, pushing him back and finally into the ground. Natsu stood with a follow through of the punch, panting heavily in anger. "Next time, I'll kill you!"

"Oh really!?" The enraged gunslinger quickly stood up, requipping a pistol into his right hand. Before he could raise it, Zalen and Jaxon was holding Reve down to keep him from firing. "You damn Fairy, I'll put on through your skull!"

Natsu, now being held back by Gajeel and Lily, roared back. "If I get loose, I'll burn you into ash for talking about my friends!"

"Natsu, stop!" Lucy called out to him. "Oi! Salamander! Cool it will ya!?" Gajeel pleased as he tightened his grip on him.

Reve was the first to relax, fixing his shirt before side glaring Natsu. "We'll have plenty of time to mark your grave for that cheap shot. Right now, we're on the same team."

Natsu slowly calmed down as well, not replying to Reve's comment as he walked back over to Erza and Wendy.

Rugal appeared out of the portal, then immediately pointed to the scoreboard. "I messed up, I should of had more, but I'm still in first with seven kills! That puts Tobias in second and Maggie in last!"

"There's still too many left." Daityas commented as he continued to flip through the book. Rugal then turned and bowed to him. "Yes, sorry Daityas."

"Sorry isn't making this plan go the way I want it to."

Rugal side eyed the others and then whispered. "I can't tell if he's upset or not. He's too into that book."

He then shrugged it off. "Kiora, it's your turn."

"Yeeaaaahhh, I'm gonna wait for a bit. You seemed to have riled them up, so I'll wait until they calm down before going out there. Don't wanna get jumped you know."

Daityas voice became piercing. "Kiora."

"Okay..." she huffed out. Kiora then grabbed Arc by the arm. "Lets go Arc, since you helped me with this, we'll both take the points as a team."

"Fine." Arc stood up and walked Kiora over to the portal, where ok the other side they appeared before the mages.

Immediately Takeru perked up, now glaring at Arc who didn't hesitate to return the deathly visage. Kiora on the other hand, sauntered over to the middle of the crowd, placing her hands on her hips.

"I thought she was afraid to come alone? She's standing in the middle of a crowd of hostile mages?" Arc's thoughts went unanswered as Kiora began speaking. "Now it's my turn, and you'll be lucky to survive this."

She snapped her fingers as Rugal's board and area disappeared. What was shown now was a normal path that seemed to lead to Crocus. Kiora snapped her fingers again, and from the horizon, a giant, pitch black tower rose from the ground, nearly touching the sky. Kiora then raised her hands, showcasing the tower in the background. "Welcome to, the Tower of Shadows! Inside this booby trapped palace that I created, along with my lovely assistant Arcturus, is nothing but pitch black. Somewhere within the one hundred rooms, is a key that unlocks the back door to this lovely home. Find the key, unlock the door, and get out before an hour is up. Because once it's been an hour..." Kiora then snapped her fingers once more, and the tower violently collapsed against the ground, dispersing into nothing. She snapped her fingers again, and the tower reappeared as if nothing happened. "You'll be crushed by the shadows."

Luke then stepped forward. "So, all we have to do, is find a key? And make it out within the hour?"

"Right! Easy right?" Kiora turned and then pranced back over to the portal she and Arc came from. "You have one hour, starting when this portal closes."

"It's gonna take us about five just to get there!" Lucy cried out. Kiora ignored her. "Oh and by the way. My pet dog and snake are in there sleeping, so please don't wake my babies." Kiora waved and then dipped into the portal. Arc and Takeru continued to glare at one another, until Arc finally backpedalled into the portal. It closed, and the mages immediately took off. As Lucy predicted, it wasn't until five minutes later that they reached the tower. Sidney was first, swinging the door open as he ran inside with everyone behind him. Immediately everyone began to split up - some in groups while others in singles. "I can't see a thing! Jaxon, can you use lightning in here?" Waiston asked him. Jaxon shook his head. "Nope. Can't really control weather from inside, sorry."

"Eh, it's okay, lets just feel around for doors or a key."

Takeru quickly made his way to the third floor. Zalen, Heather and Kagura were able to stay with the only mage able to see in the dark. "Stay close Takeru." Kagura demanded. Takeru scoffed in return, but didn't reply to her. Instead he kept moving forward, opening door after door until he came to a well sized room. He stopped in the doorway, causing everyone else to bump into him from behind due to their lack of sight. "Hey! Tak what happened?" Zalen asked him while rubbing his nose from bumping into him.

"There's a chest in here. I think it's the key.."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Heather asked. Only Takeru could see it. Kiora's shadow snake, Ouroboros, stood at attention, slowly uncoiling as it stalked it's new found pray. "Kiora's snake is in here..." Takeru whispered. "It sees us as well." He slowly began to creep inside, the other three behind him. "Just listen to my every word, and we'll get out of this alive.."

Three floors higher, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Alexander and Blues made their way from room to room, Natsu leading the way with his hands lit in flames to shed some light upon the darkness. "It's too dark, I'm scared.." Lucy murmured. "Don't be scared Lucy!" Happy replied. "The dark isn't scary! Just stay close!"

"Right Happy!" Natsu exclaimed as he turned back to the group after opening a door. With a smile he closed his eyes, confidently speaking. "Just stick near me and we'll be outta here in no time!"

Lucy wanted to smile, but it was halted. Natsu's flames were just strong enough to reveal the figure standing behind him. Kiora's hellhound, Cerberus. He silently bared his teeth behind the chuckling Dragon Slayer, Lucy unable to speak solely from the fear. Finally, Blues yelled as Cerberus opened his jaw in an attempt to bite into his prey.

"Natsu!

Behind you!"


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Collapsing Tower! Sora's Deadly Kitchen.

"Natsu! Behind you!"

Blues's exclamation caused the dragon slayer to turn around, right into the hellhound itself. Jaws clamped, hugging tight onto Natsu's right shoulder, the beast dragged the screaming mage inside the pitch black room, leaving the others without light to see.

"Darn it! Natsu!" Blues yelled as he blindly rushed in.

"Was that..!?" Lucy asked, not finishing her sentence as she ran in as well. "Natsu!"

Everyone else followed as screaming and thrashing continued. "Natsu!" Lucy yelled out again, searching from left to right in the endless dark for her partner.

"Give me...back my arm!" The sudden yell caught everyone's attention. As Happy yelled for him again, a sudden blaze appeared to everyone's left. It was Natsu, his right shoulder still inside the clamping grip of Cerberus's jaw. With his free hand, Natsu began punching the hell beast in the nose repeatedly. Finally, after the fourth punch, Cerberus released him by launching Natsu across the room. Though he was conscious, once again, the dragon slayer's flames went out from taking such damage; crashing into the ground and finally against the opposing wall.

"Nats-" Lucy was about to run over, but Blues instinctively reached his arm out to stop her. "Wait.." He demanded. "For what? This isn't time for a one on one!" Lucy retaliated. Alexander then took a few steps forward. "Sh.. The beast has stopped making noise, and I'm sure it can see perfectly in the dark. The question is..." Alexander began to shift his eyes around the room slowly, looking for the slightest movement. "Is it coming for us, or Natsu?"

"Natsu!" Happy obviously didn't heed the warning Blues and Alexander gave. Little paws could now be heard running over to where Natsu was launched. Wide eyed, Alexander turned to his direction as the exceed continued running. "You idiot!"

Suddenly, galloping was heard, followed by a loud bark.

"Happy!" Natsu yelled as he continued to hear both sets of paws. The difference between them without being able to see the actual figures was scary. Scary enough to send Natsu in a prayerful mode, hoping Happy would make it to him in time.

"Dammit!" Alexander took off, Blues staying with Lucy as she yelled for the exceed's name in horror. "I can't see a thing, so I'll just have to guess the timing!"

He ran, stride after stride, nearly tripping once before he slid to where he hoped he was between Cerberus and Happy. He held both hands outward, waiting as Cerberus's vibrations from galloping became stronger and stronger.

"...Now!" He yelled as Cerberus leaped into the air. Out of sure luck, Happy had just ran past Alexander, putting him in the clear as the War God rotated his arms clockwise, creating a bubble of space in front of him. He could feel Cerberus enter the bubble as he lunged for Alexander, and the second the beast did, Alexander clapped his hands shut, causing Cerberus to disappear. Still unable to see, Alexander waited a second to make sure that his spell worked. Since he wasn't being mauled right about now, he sighed in relief as he dropped his hands. At this time, Natsu sat up with Happy, igniting his unharmed hand in flames once more. With new light, Blues and Lucy ran over to the other three. They all then grabbed a glance at Natsu's shoulder. "...Ew." Blues stated.

"Don't say ew!" Natsu shouted back. He then turned to Alexander. "But, thank you, Alexander, for saving Happy."

He nodded as Happy bowed his head in shame. "It's fine, but it just gave us another obstacle once we attempt to leave here."

Puzzled faces dominated the room. "Why's that?" Lucy asked. "You transported it right? Where did you send it?"

"As strong as I like to think I am, when it comes to transporting things, I can only move it so far, and to places I've been and remember vividly. With the ever-changing landscape, and the fact that we're in this tower..."

"You're telling me.."

"Yes Blues." Alexander replied, finishing Blues's assumption.

"Cerberus is near the tower entrance."

She slammed her fist against the table she sat upon, now throwing a Kiora sized hissy fit as she rolled around. "Dammit! I had Natsu! I was gonna win this contest!"

"Wow.." Tobias said as he crossed his arms uncomfortably. "That was close...for Natsu I mean."

"It's okay Tobias, we all want to win. You don't have to hide the fact that you're glad Natsu is alive." Rugal commented.

"Like hell he doesn't!" Kiora yelled, and in a flash, Tobias was on the ground with Kiora repeatedly stomping on him in a comedic fashion. "I'm gonna win this! Just watch!"

"A-alright! Just stop stomping on me!" Tobias pleaded, only causing Kiora to speed up on her stomps to the back of his head.

"Hey look! Natsu, hold your fire over to that corner!"

He did what Lucy asked, and in the corner of the room, was a chest. Lucy walked over to it, and pushed the wooden chest open. "A key?" She questioned. "How ironic."

"It's probably the key out of here." Natsu said, tapping Lucy on the arm for her to follow them out. She then sighed as she brought up the rear of the group once Natsu hopped back in front. "Let's hope so. Back to the first floor then."

.

.

.

"Stand away." Takeru spoke as he and the snake, Ouroboros stood off against one another. Slowly, both him and the serpent circled each other. Coming around full swing, Ouroboros finally struck, lunging for the shadow dragon slayer. Takeru leaped away, causing the snake to crash against the ground. It quickly turned around however, and slung its tail for Takeru. With no time for a legitimate dodge, Tak brought both of his arms up, defending himself from the devastating tail whip. Though he crashed into the wall, Takeru hung onto the snake's tail, struggling with the beast as he turned back to the entrance. "Heather! Listen to me!" Her ears perked up from Takeru's voice. "Yeah, what is it?" She replied.

"The chest is in the far left corner, against the wall. If you stay against the wall, you'll run right into it!"

"Got it!" She nodded and then began her careful walk towards the left corner of the room; back against the wall as she scooted along. Immediately, Ouroboros reacted, and darted for Heather. It wasn't even halfway to the poison dragon slayer that the serpent's movements were halted. Takeru then grinned within the darkness. "Using my own guild mate as bait. Man, I really don't know my own limits as a person."

Takeru crouched, and then tugged on the snake's tail with all his might, causing Ouroboros to snap back. With momentum carrying him, the Shadow Dragon spun around repeatedly, holding on to Ouroboros with a tight grip until he was satisfied enough to let go. The throw sent the serpent into the opposite wall of Heather. During this, Heather herself was only feet away from her goal, still searching the wall for the chest she was looking for.

"You still have feet to go!" Takeru shouted. "You won't miss it just go for it."

"I don't want to run into it!" Heather yelled back annoyed. Tak sucked his teeth at the unusual prissy response from her. "Should of told Zalen to..."

As he watched her, the serpent Ouroboros arose once again, and without warning, the cosmic beast popped open its jaw and fired a more than large laser towards Takeru. His eyes widened. Tak was in a tight spot. If he dodged it, the blast would ram right into Heather. If not, he would be the victim. "I guess it's the latter." He sighed to himself as he placed his arms up in an X, bracing himself as he took the blast head on. It didn't take long until he was lifted off his feet and sent hurling away until crashing into the ground. Without hesitation, Ouroboros took off towards Heather, passing right by Takeru. The shadow dragon reached out, calling for her guild mate. "Heather! Look out!"

"Huh!?" She couldn't see, only hear. Ouroboros was charging right for her. With no where to go, Heather curled up in a ball, waiting for the worst to happen. And finally, a loud banging noise was heard. It was as if something had ran into a steel wall. In fact, that's exactly what occurred, as Zalen was able to manifest an iron wall between Heather and Ouroboros just in time. "Man... That was pure luck." Zalen said as he panted just from the sheer anticipation and prayer he was holding onto. Slowly rising again, Ouroboros shook off the stunning blow it took, but before it could make its way around the iron wall, Takeru slid in its way, slamming a shadow infused fist into its jaw and causing the cosmic serpent to crash backwards into the ground once more before quickly recovering and coiling; hissing at its prey.

"Got it!" Heather said as she kicked the chest with her foot. She then bent down and opened the chest, digging inside. "...There's nothing inside!"

"Are you sure!?" Takeru yelled back.

"I'm positive!" Heather replied as she continued to run her hand through the entirety of the chest. "It's completely empty.

"A decoy." Kagura added. "Let's get out of here then."

"Won't be that easy with this thing after us!" Takeru added in.

"Tch, if only I could see.." Kagura clenched her sheathed sword with a bit of frustration. "Wait...Takeru! Line the snake up with the entrance of the door!"

"What's that gonna do!?" Takeru asked as he leapt away from Ouroboros once more.

"Just do it!"

Scoffing once more, Takeru gave in, and ran towards the doorway. Turning left, Ouroboros was now right behind him. "Okay, it's lined up!" Takeru yelled. Kagura then crouched just slightly, holding on to her sword tightly. "On my mark."

"On your mark what!?" Takeru yelled.

"Move dummy!" Zalen yelled back.

"Move now!?" Takeru cried out in question.

"No!" Heather added in.

"Now!" Kagura shouted.

"Now?" Takeru asked, but then he realized that it was Kagura's voice this time, and with desperate thinking, noticing Kagura quickly coming his way, Takeru baseball slid towards the door. Kagura then, with a single slash, sliced past the serpent. A few seconds passed, and finally, Ouroboros fell over unconscious. Kagura then turned around, and walked a straight line back to the door, meeting Heather and the others. "Now, we should probably head back downstairs, to see if anyone else has found the key. We're running out of time."

Zalen nodded. "I'm with Kagura on this one. We're really pushing it now, so it's all on everyone else."

"I guess you're right." Takeru added as he began walking the way he came. "Let's head back then."

"I... Why won't anyone die? I won't come in last I swear it!" Kiora began pacing the floor, watching the screen as she did. "Dammit! If I come in last I swear I'll..."

"You'll be the loser." Daityas chimed in, keeping his eyes on the book. "You all agreed to the stipulations, even though they were stupid. You'll honor it."

Kiora's eyes then began to water. Finally she broke out into a wailing fit. "But I don't want to lose my room! I have the best one!"

"That's because it's the Princess's room." Tobias chimed in. On cue, an uppercut soared into Tobias's chin, Kiora sending him flying into the ceiling.

"Oh hell, I forgot about the last place stipulations." Maggie said. She then covered her mouth as she grinned. "But by the looks of it, I won't have to take Kiora's babysitting duties. Watching Sora can be a bloody pain on my own watch. Speaking of which.."

Maggie looked around, noticing Sora was once again not in the room. "Is that bloke still trying to cook?"

And as she asked, black smoke came from the kitchen. Seconds later, Sora came running out with her cheeks covered in the left over ash. She then pointed to the kitchen she ran from. "Rugal! Fix it!" She yelled.

"It's not broken stupid, you just can't cook." Kiora replied with a taunting smirk on her face.

"Shut up!" Sora yelled before turning back to Rugal with a stare. The green haired male then sighed, and walked back to the kitchen with Sora.

"It's funny that Kiora says Sora can't cook."

Tobias whispered to himself; not quiet enough as Kiora now had a foot in his face, twisting it repeatedly. "You really think now is a good time, Tobias!?"

Over to the right, leaning back in her chair, was Ruika. Beside her, was one of her celestial spirits, Orion, filing her nails. "This is why I didn't compete. You can't lose in something you're not participating in."

"That makes you a boring lot, doesn't it Ruika doll?" Maggie asked. Ruika merely shrugged. "Not concerned with if I'm boring or not. Just here for the perks."

"As long as you pull your own weight, and you do that just fine." Daityas added while flipping a page in the book he was so dwelled into. Ruika gave a smile from the compliment, then scowled as Orion clipped her with the nail file. "Dammit Orion! Do something right for once!"

"Sorry princess!" The spirit apologized, bowing a few times before filing her nails once more.

"Gray... Gray..."

Laying on the base of the cage, Gray finally stirred awake. As he sat up, he found himself surrounded by a number of mages; mages, that "lost" in previous events. "What happened..? Last I know, I was."

"We saw the whole thing." Orga spoke. "You fell into that lava."

Gray's eyes widened. A flash went through his head as he now remembered the pain vividly. The pain that lasted for a full minute before he woke up in the cage with the others. "I remember."

"Well, now you know what molten lava feels like.." Charla added in.

"Charla..."

She immediately shook her head. "I'm fine, and Wendy is too. That's what matters to me."

He stood up, looking around until he spotted the Tartaros mages over to the front of them, a bit of a ways off. "Those bastards. Playing us like its a game. Come on Natsu, you and the others have to finish this."

"There's the main door!" Natsu yelled as he ran towards it, the only door with a window to the outside. "This key will work I know it-"

He ran full speed, right into the back of Laxus, causing the Lightning Dragon slayer to stumble a bit forward. Scowling, he then turned to Natsu, who he could barely see, and raised him by his scarf before setting him down once again.

"Laxus?" Natsu questioned, also now noticing everyone else waiting by the door.

"You guys would end up with the key." Erza stated with a smile.

"Okay, that's nice now let's get out of here before this place collapses." Bacchus interrupted rudely. "I'm not trying to die when the exit is right here. That ain't wild."

"Right!" Lucy ran over to the door, and placed the key inside the hole. With a simple twist, the door opened; just in time as the tower began to shake vigorously.

"Okay! Everyone out!" Erza said, directing traffic. Everyone ran out as Lucy held the door. Natsu was the last one before her, smiling in accomplishment to his partner mage as he hopped out. Lucy returned the smile as she started out as well.

"I'm confused.." Blues chimed in. He then turned to Alexander. "Hey, didn't you say you sent that hell dog back to the entrance of the tower?"

"What!?" Alexander yelled as the tremors the tower created became louder.

Blues elected not to repeat himself. Instead, as he turned back to the vibrating tower, his eyes shot open. "L-Lucy-"

Cheerfully she ran out, and quickly that smile diminished. She turned back to her left arm, noticing a set of sharp teeth clamped onto it. Finally, the pain kicked in after realization. Cerberus had Lucy, and quickly drug her back inside. She let out a shrill cry as she was drug back in. Natsu quickly turned back around, sprinting full speed as he yelled for her. "LUCY!"

Time was running low, the tower's top floor had already collapsed and Lucy was struggling with the hellhound, crying in a panic as she could feel her arm being violently chewed on.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled again as two more floors from the tower collapsed. It was when he was merely feet away that he was grabbed from behind. "What are you doing!? Let me go!" He yelled as he continued to struggle.

Evanee tightened her grip, holding Natsu in a full nelson. "Think you idiot. We need your dumbass. What if you don't make it out that tower! She's only going to die for a few seconds! She'll be waiting for you at Tartaros!"

"No! Get off me! She doesn't deserve it! No one does! Let go!"

Lucy screamed once again, desperately kicking Cerberus in its jaw to try and force it to let go of her arm.

"Lucy! Hold on!" Natsu yelled as he erupted in flames. Evanee flinched, but only tightened her grip as everyone else watched, unsure what to do. Everyone, but Erza who took off in her Flight armor, dashing towards and into the tower.

"You're a fool, Scarlet!" Evanee yelled as Erza zoomed past her. With the third floor collapsing, Erza zipped into the tower, and without hesitation, slammed her sword against the nose of Cerberus, causing the hellhound to whimper in pain as it released Lucy from its grasp. Erza quickly lifted Lucy upwards, pushing her forward. "Quick, run!" The red head yelled. Lucy did just that, holding her arm as she led her and Erza towards the exit. She made it out, but even Erza in flight armor couldn't outrun Cerberus it seemed as the beast blindsided her, shoulder barging her the wall away from the door.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled as he grabbed her, holding the blonde close as she cried, her arm bleeding profusely.

"What about Erza!" Wendy yelled as the second floor collapsed. Back inside, Erza was pinned between Cerberus and the wall. With her standard sword, Titania began stabbing at the beast repeatedly, desperately trying to create space as the tower began its final shake. Finally, the beast gave in to the painful stabs and Erza leaped over, running towards the door where Natsu stood in the doorway with his hand out. "Erza!"

She ran, and finally, reached out to Natsu. He grabbed the armor plated female's wrist and pulled, but there was no movement. He looked to see, and noticed Erza's head lowered. He looked again, and spotted Cerberus once again. The troublesome beast now had her leg.

"Come on Erza!" Natsu yelled as he pulled. Instead, Erza loosened Natsu's grip. "Erza...! No, don't quit!"

"I'm not quitting, Natsu. But...I'm not taking you with me."

As she loosened the grip, she gave one final push to the dragon slayer, causing him stumble back outside as Cerberus dragged her in. On cue, the tower collapsed fully, taking Erza Scarlet with it.

"Erza..." Wendy called out quietly as she covered her mouth in shock. Everyone stood in silence as Natsu fell to his knees, staring at where the tower once was. Even Reve gave a "Tch" as he turned away from the sight.

"I...I'm sorry-"

"Don't!" Laxus exclaimed, cutting Lucy off.

"It was either you or her, and she chose her. It would of been a miracle even for Erza if both of you made it out."

Lucy stared up towards Laxus before breaking down once more.

"I hate to interrupt this sad sack of an emotional fest but..."

Everyone turned to the suddenly opened portal. Standing there was Rugal once again. "If everyone would step through here, we have a feast waiting for the survivors, and then finally, the real game can begin."

Before anyone could react, Rugal stepped back into the portal. Everyone was drained, if not physically, then mentally. Yet, they slowly trudged on. Natsu was the last to walk in, holding onto the crying Lucy as everyone stood around the darkened area.

"What? Another shadow tower?" Jaxon asked.

"That's doubtful." Reve answered. Just then, the lights flashed on. Over towards the stage, Maggie, Tobias, Kiora, Ruika, Rugal and Arc stood, grinning (except Kiora) towards the number of mages left. To the right of Arc, little Sora came running in, now standing next to the darkness demon with a ironically cheerful smile. Two more lights flashed on. The first one, turned to the mages locked in the cage. "Rogue! Orga!" Sting yelled.

"Gray, Erza!" Natsu and the other shouted.

"Charla!" Wendy cried out for her exceed.

"We're fine!" Erza yelled back.

"Speak for yourself." Orga replied.

The second light, held the King of Hell himself, Daityas. He closed the book, garnering everyone's attention as the room fell into a hush. Daityas then stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.

"Congratulations, all of you have nearly passed the games. There's only one last ting you have to do. We know you're low on energy and famished from this strenuous activity that's been going on all day. So, my fellow members here have made you a feast."

Daityas snapped his fingers, and quickly, a few royal guards ran out, holding tables of covered up plates. There were five tables, all placed in a row.

"Welcome, To Sora's kitchen." She said as she raised her hand in excitement. "The rules are simple. You have to eat. If everyone doesn't. We kill your caged friends!"

Everyone watched as the tables were placed down. Rylo then spoke out. "What's the catch?"

Sora continued smiling. "The catch is, only one table is poison free!"

"Of course..." Rylo grimaced as Sora giggled. Finally, the plates were uncovered, and each table gave a different look. The first one was filled with seafood. The second, burgers and fries of the sort. The third table held an assortment of meats while the fourth held an abundance of sweets. All four tables looked perfectly done, as if classic chefs did all the work. It was the fifth table that Sora stood next to, that gained a cautious attention. Everything was burnt. The food couldn't be deciphered by appearance. The mages looked towards each other, then back to Daityas who snapped his fingers. Once he did, a giant magic seal appeared under the cage that held the captive mages.

"This time, they won't be coming back. So you should cooperate with little Sora."

With no choice, the mages walked towards the tables, past the Tartaros members.

"Well?" Sora said as the mages stared at the edible game of chance.

"Eat up!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Ten on Ten! Bacchus vs the Demon of Stone!

"Well? Go ahead and eat!" Sora announced. The mages stared at the tables, trying to figure out which one was the edible. No one wanted to touch anything, but they had no choice for two obvious reasons.

"Ugh, I'm starving.." Jaxon said as he held his stomach.

"I'll admit." Leon added. "Everything does look appetizing, but all but one are poisoned. On top of that, the others will die if we don't eat."

"Tch! This is insane!" Luke cried out. "Our lives are in the hands of a child's cooking!"

"Actually." Everyone turned as Kiora began to speak. "Sora only cooked one table. The rest is from me, Maggie, Rugal and Tobias

"WHICH ONE IS TOBIAS'S!?" Everyone in the room called out. Tobias blinked once, unsure why everyone wanted to know. He then slowly pointed to the first table. "Um, mine's the seafood table. I worked really har-"

A sudden loud crash was heard. Natsu and Leon had kicked over the seafood table, leaving Tobias in shock. "Why!?" He yelled.

"No one trusts Tobias!" Natsu yelled back. "That's one down."

Maggie turned away whistling as she thought to herself. "What's crazy is that those blokes were right. Tobias had one of the poisoned tables."

"Okay, four tables left and only one is the edible table." Analyzed Laxus. Even he gulped at the fact that one wrong bite, and he could die from poison. Everyone scanned the tables continuously. "Can we rule out that last table?" Zalen asked. "I mean, everything is burnt to a crisp there."

"I'm with Zalen on that one." Lucy chimed in.

"No, don't rule anything out." Rylo replied. "Just keep trying to decipher which is which."

"I don't think we can decipher anymore. Everything looks normal." Wendy stated.

"It's too obvious." Bacchus said to himself, Kuro Chi and Blues. "That burnt food. It's the worst looking. But is it so burnt that it's poisonous? Or is it the only edible thing even though it's badly burnt?"

"Hmm..." Blues stroked his chin as well. "This is a conundrum. We're literally a simple plate away from death or advancing. It's crazy, no one's e...eating..."

Blues was in awe, and when everyone else turned to see, they joined the in shock aquatic dragon slayer. At the last table, with all the burnt food, Natsu, and Leon were devouring the food as if it was delicious.

"This is awful!" Natsu exclaimed as he kept eating. "Yeah." Leon agreed, yet stuffing his face with the badly charcoaled food. Everyone continued to watch in amazement.

"I know what you're thinking." Everyone but the two eating turned to Daityas as he spoke. "But I won't let the poison kick in until everyone's eaten. So waiting to see if they are gonna keel over isn't going to work. Eat, you're wasting my time."

"Dammit..." Bacchus walked over to the fifth table, now joining Natsu and Leon.

"Bacchus..." Blues called out. After much hesitation, he and Kuro Chi headed towards the table of meats.

Suddenly, everyone began to scatter, taking different tables. All that joined Natsu and Leon, were Takeru, Sidney, Evanee, Rylo, Gajeel, Pantherlily, Bacchus, and Mason. Everyone ate at a different pace. Some only took the necessary bites for their efforts to be recognized. At the end of it all, every mage stood ready, preparing themselves for the worst. Daityas grinned just slightly. "Well well, it seemed you all had such massive appetites. I hope your meal was worth it."

Eyes were clinched shut as Daityas raised his right hand. He then snapped his fingers. With that snap, the scraps on the second through fourth table melted in an acidic fashion. As cliche as it was, the burnt food was the only edible one. Lucy, Wendy, Mirajane...all of the other mages' eyes turned completely white; falling over and collapsing to the floor.

"Kch!" Natsu and Gajeel watched in horror as their guild mates fell over, lying "dead" on the floor before their bodies disappeared, reappearing inside the cage that held the captive mages.

"What!? What happened!? I..." Lucy looked around, now noticing that she was trapped inside the same cage as Gray and the others. "I remember, my insides feeling like they were on fire.."

"Death by poisoned food." Selene added as everyone else came too. "Should of took the burnt food."

"Dammit!" Reve yelled as he head butted the cage bars in frustration. "How stupid! Of course it was the most unappealing table!"

"...Well, at least the team left isn't too bad. With two aces and Natsu and Gajeel, maybe they can pull of whatever's coming." Laxus stated, crossing his arms over his chest. Laxus then looked over to the ten mages, especially Natsu who had his fists clenched, shaking in silent anger.

"Hey!" He yelled out to the ten. "We're fine! Just do what you have to do to save everyone! Nothing's changed here!"

Natsu raised his head along with the others as Daityas made his way from his desk and down to stand across from the other mages.

"Wow, ten exactly. You couldn't plan that any better. It looks like Sora wins."

"And you lose Kiora!" Sora exclaimed, pointing towards Kiora who slumped to her knees sobbing. "My room.."

Daityas then spoke again. "With you ten remaining, it's now time for the fun part. Ten mages..." Daityas then snapped his fingers once more, causing the lights to come completely on. Once on, the lights revealed a giant arena floor, and a bit ways away from it, the demons that the Tartaros mages summoned from before. They were all lined up in a row like loyal soldiers. "And ten demons."

"So what, is this some kind of tournament?" Evanee asked.

"That's exactly what this is." Daityas replied. "Ten on ten. First team to eliminate all ten opponents wins the games. Tournament rules are simple. You win by ten count, if your opponent quits, ring out, or death. Yes, killing your opponent is allowed, yet optional. In case those waiting try anything tricky, you'll be waiting in magic sealing cuffs until it's your turn to fight. Sound good right? That pretty much covers it. Now, who will be going first for your team huh?"

"I'll go." Before anyone could answer, Rylo stepped forward, stepping onto the arena floor. "Rylo.."

"It's fine. I just want to get it over with. Besides..." The magician grinned. "I already know how to ultimately win this thing."

Evanee nodded. "Alright, good luck."

"Aaaaaand it seems that the mages are going with the magician Kiora!" Maggie exclaimed as she and Kiora sat at a table, posing as two announcers. "Who will be up for the demons!?"

"Why it's funny that you of all people should ask that Maggie!" Kiora replied as the demon entered the ring. "Because, just as you elected, the Demon of Stone, your own personal monstrosity, is starting team Tartaros off!"

Daityas couldn't help but grin. "Before we begin, it's obvious that we'll need an audience right?"

The mages gave Daityas a confused look as he turned to the right, staring off to the side of the arena as he snapped his fingers again. One last light flashed on a giant curtain. "I'm sorry to keep you all waiting! But now, the show has begun! Raise the curtain!"

Tobias pulled the string, lifting the giant curtain from its position and behind it...was every single dark guild that ever opposed Fairy Tail and their alliances. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Widened eyes were every where as the lively bunch of dark mages began their jeering towards the legal mages.

"This just took a turn for the worst.." Mirajane commented. "Every dark mage is here." Erza added.

Gray then began naming a few that he spotted and remembered. "Erigor, Racer, even Cobra and Midnight."

"All of Silent Sanctum.." Reve cringed. His eyes then widened even more once he spotted a familiar face. "Jikan..."

The young boy waved back towards the gunslinger. "Reve! Didn't think you wouldn't be competing, but what else should I expect from anyone raised by that failure of a guild master?"

"Jikan Calium." Sidney spoke to himself, not looking away from the arena floor.

"This is going to be interesting, yeah?" Aloysis, the man beside Jikan spoke.

"Mi'Lady..." Sting and Rogue stared, and Minerva simply winked back. "I thought Sabertooth would falter without me. It seems I was right."

"Everyone is really here..." Wendy shuddered as the dark mages all glared their way, a mixture of death stares and evil grins filling the air.

"Alright, without further ado!" Daityas shouted as he now stood on a level just above the arena. "Contestants ready!?"

Rylo nodded while the demon didn't move an inch.

"And, begin!"

On command, the demon walked forward, but it wasn't even three steps in when Rylo raised his right hand.

"I forfeit."

"...What?"

"What!?"

"WHAT!?"

Maggie blinked a few times. "Well Kiora...it seems that the slight of hand mage has forfeited before the first blow could even be thrown..."

"BOO! Coward! Kill him anyways!" Kiora jeered, causing the audience of dark mages to join in.

"Kill the quitter!" She continued. Instead, Tobias walked back over with the magic sealing cuffs. "Alright, hands behind your back, coward."

Rylo simply did what he said, placing his hands behind his back. As Tobias placed the cuffs on him, Rylo shifted quickly before being escorted to the cage of mages where everyone was waiting for him with unappreciative expressions. On the way there, Cobra grinned from the stands. "I see.. This will be interesting later then." He said to himself.

"Just like boys." Angel commented. "Quick to surrender when adversity is in their path."

"What happened!?" Alexander asked, a bit of panic and confusion in his voice.

Rylo shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry? You forfeited before it started! You're our S class, how can you do that! Now it's nine on ten!"

"Alexander!" Ceaser yelled.

"What kind of higher ranked mage quits like that?! And keep a straight face!?"

"Alexander!" Ceaser yelled again, this time nudging him out the way. "Don't be so quick to judge!"

He stumbled away, but held his ground as he glared back towards Ceaser, then everyone else, and finally Rylo who was staring back at the arena. He scoffed, and turned back as well, waiting for action to actually unfold.

"Okay well, with the score nine to ten, anyone who is actually going to fight wanna step in this ring?" Daityas asked.

"I'll redeem us right here! Wild!" Bacchus yelled out as he volunteered.

"Four!" The dark mages erupted surprisingly, causing everyone to look their way.

"What? It's fun!" Hiroki of Silent Sanctum added.

With Bacchus free of the cuffs, he held a confident grin as he usual does, sliding into his readied stance as he waited on Daityas to give the signal.

"Okay, ready?" He asked as he raised a hand to the air. He then swung it down. "Go!"

Just as before, the stone demon began walking forward. This time however, his opponent wasn't backing down. Instead, Bacchus rushed forward. As he entered melee range, Bacchus slid out the way of a downward punch by the demon, ending up to its right side a he fired a powerful palm strike into it's side. The demon slid not even an inch before turning to face the Drunken Falcon.

"Bacchus!" Leon yelled as he cupped his cuffed hands around his mouth. "Don't forget! Concentrate on one spot and a red marking will appear eventually, creating a weak point!"

"Got it!" Bacchus yelled in reply. He then bent backwards, avoiding an incoming swing from the stone demon. Using that momentum, Bacchus slammed a head butt to the same spot he landed his first palm. Connection, Bacchus grinned as he landed his head first assault. Though the attack landed, the demon didn't budge. Instead, before Bacchus could move out the way, the demon caught him, gripping Bacchus tightly with its right arm. "D-dammit!"

"Finish him!" Bluenote yelled as the demon raised Bacchus above its head. It then slammed that same fist carrying the mage into the arena floor, creating a crater the size of its fist. Once it pulled its fist back, Bacchus laid in the crater, unmoving.

"I...is he out already?" Leon asked.

"There's no way!" Mason yelled. "He's stronger than that!"

"Tobias walked over to the seemingly unconscious Bacchus, and began counting.

"1...2...3..." Before the count of four... the stone demon reared back its fist again, and began hammering down on the exposed mage, alternating from left to right fist with no remorse.

"Hey! He was counting!" Gajeel yelled.

"Killing your opponent is legal, remember?" Daityas asked rhetorically.

"Still! He was down! Make him stop!"

"It'll stop when it's satisfied. See?"

As Daityas spoke, the demon of stone finally stopped wailing on the drunken mage, and walked back to its side of the arena as if it knew that it had already won.

"Tch...that was uncalled for!" Leon yelled out in a rage. Sidney and Evanee merely watched, not saying anything out loud as Tobias continued his count.

"7...8...9..."

"Now that...was wild."

It was the demons this time that were uh a bit of shock. Pushing up from the ground, Bacchus wobbled on his feet, broken armor and all. Still, he was able to smile his usual cocky smile as he reached for and grabbed his gourd from his waist side. "My bad, I forgot that we're up against demons. You guys aren't regular mages, so I'll have to take you all seriously from the start." And with that, Bacchus raised the gourd to his mouth and began drinking.

"Don't just stand there you idiot!" Maggie yelled towards her pet. "Take him out now!"

The demon's jaw then dropped open as an accumulation of stone proper gathered in its mouth. Seconds later, it then fired its stone demon howl, a giant funnel of destructive stone now hurling towards Bacchus. At this time, he had just finished his gourd completely, and he crouched as his eyes lowered. Suddenly, Bacchus zoomed off, running right by the destructive howl. In a flash, seven powerful palm strikes slammed into the stone demon, unable to be seen by the untrained eye. Bacchus now appeared on the other side of the demon, holding his pose as he spoke. "Wild..."

"FOUR!"

Suddenly, the stones in the same spot he concentrated on in the beginning of the match began to crack, finally exposing the actual skin of the demon. Bacchus turned around to see the sight that he predicted, keeping the grin on his face as he panted. "Alright! He broke through!" Mason yelled.

"Remember drunk. A ring out works too." Evanee spoke.

"For this tournament maybe." Sidney added. Evanee turned to him, waiting for an explanation. "Even if we win this entire thing, if we don't destroy those demons, they'll still be alive, and whose to say Daityas won't unleash them anyways."

After Sidney finished explaining, Evanee crossed her arms back over her chest, turning back to the match at hand. "Come on Bacchus!" Natsu yelled. "Finish it here!"

"I'm planning on it!" Bacchus exclaimed as he placed his right hand on his knee and raised it in the air. Concentrating his magic into his right foot, Bacchus threw down a powerful stomp, violently breaking the arena floor into random pieces. The stone floor shot up everywhere in a random frenzy, and the tremors caused the demon itself to stumble backwards, all the way to the edge. It began to teeter, causing Bacchus's grin to widen.

"Don't stand there!" Gajeel yelled.

"Push it off the edge!" Leon added.

"Shut up I know!" Bacchus retaliated, and once again, the drunken mage bent at the knees slightly. Once again, he took off with immense speed, rushing towards the stone demon. As he did, he, and everyone else then began to noticed that the stone rubble began floating in place.

"What's this?" Mason asked.

Even Bacchus began to slow down due to cautiously watching the floating stones around him.

"No! Hurry before it's too late you fool!" Sidney yelled. Alas, it was just that. Bacchus turned his attention back to his opponent, only to see a large piece of broken stone coming his way. With quick thinking, Bacchus skidded to a stop and launched a magic palm forward, breaking the giant piece into smaller ones. With that one gone, it only opened up for more of the rubble to come flying in. The red eyes of the demon were glowing, showing the obvious manipulation of the stones flying around the arena. Suddenly, the stones all rushed towards the drunken falcon, and desperately, Bacchus began throwing his magic filled palms every which way in an attempt to not only keep up, but to save himself from being bombarded by the flying stones.

"H-Hang in there, Bacchus!" Leon yelled out.

"He's only making it worse.." Evanee stated. Leon looked over towards the nymph mage, and then turned back to the fight, now noticing that the more stones Bacchus shattered, the more crowded the arena became.

He'll find a way!" Natsu yelled.

"If you think some flying rocks are gonna stop me, then you're not as wild as I thought you were!" Bacchus yelled out as he continued his defensive palm strikes. He went from a focused visage, to grinning again. Even as the stones multiplied each time, it seemed as if Bacchus easily keeping up. The heavy debris was doing nothing more but making it harder to see...

It just clicked for him and the others. "Where'd it go!?" Gajeel asked as he looked around the arena. It was near impossible to see now with all the damage Bacchus has done, and the giant monstrosity was no longer in anyone's sights. Back in the middle of the stone throwing frenzy, Bacchus bared his teeth as he tried to multitask, knocking down stones and looking for the demon. Taking his eyes off the task at hand, one of the larger remaining sediments slammed into his side, causing him to flinch. This opening allowed even more stones of various sizes violently slam into him. "I'm...not done!" Bacchus yelled as he pushed himself up, swinging his palms once more. That's when it happened, completely focused on the flying stones, he didn't even realize the demon reappearing behind him until it was too late. Bacchus turned right into a clubbing, stone infused right hook to the jaw. The power behind the punch sent the S class mage flying out of the arena, and violently crashing into the ground, not only unconscious, but a ring out as well.

Tobias then raised his right hand. "Winner! The Demon of Stone!"

The audience of dark mages began their cheers. The uproar drowning out the expression that the legal mages showed.

"Well, he gave a good fight." Leon murmured.

"Good isn't enough here." Sidney replied. "This isn't recreation. There's a lot at stake here, and we're losing eight to ten. That demon isn't even hurt. That was a bad matchup."

"Alright ya destructive little demon you. Fix the arena and get ready for your next victim alright?" On Maggie's command, the demon raised a hand, causing the broken stone pieces to fit back into the arena floor like a simple puzzle. Once done, the arena was good as new again.

"B-Bacchus..." Kuro Chi and Blues watched as their S class mage was thrown towards them, heavily beaten and bruised. Blues caught him before slowly placing him down.

"Oh man..that was completely one-sided." Sting said as he turned back to the arena floor.

"Eight to ten. How will this play out?" Rugal asked with a smirk.

"Well who's up?" Ruika asked in a demanding tone. "We don't have all day."

"I'm going next!" Natsu yelled.

"Sit down Salamander." Sidney objected.

"What!? You're not the boss here! I'm going next!"

"You'll listen to what I say."

"Or what!?"

"Natsu!" Erza called out. Natsu turned to her and the rest of the guild as she nodded. "Listen to Sidney for now. He did match wits with our first master after all..."

"Don't choke there, Titania." Reve commented. Erza ignored him. "He's your captain for now. Only until we can get out of this mess."

"...Fine.." He hesitated, but agreed to the suggestion. Sidney then turned back to the other mages.

"Pick someone already." Minerva heckled from the crowd, causing the other dark mages to snicker and laugh, eventually joining in with the jeers.

Sidney scanned through the team, everyone but one seemingly raring to go. He stared at him, and then finally called his name.

"Mason."

"What!?" The small boy turned to the ghost mage in shock.

"Are you insane!?" Roy yelled from the cage that held him captive. Ignoring the constant complaining of his choice, Sidney towered over the young boy. "All you have to do, is knock it out the ring. We'll handle the rest."

Mason stuttered. "I...I can't...!"

"You're a mischief mage right? Your magic focuses on making others look foolish right? That along with your projectile magic should be fine. Don't fail me."

Mason began to tremble. Don't fail him? Sidney's words weren't really encouraging. He continued to shake in fear until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned to see Natsu, Leon and Gajeel smiling towards him.

"Hey." Natsu spoke. "You're gonna kick its ass, okay!?"

"Gihe! Use those tactics of yours! Your ace, Roy is watching, runt. Ya don't wanna look like a coward in front of him do ya?"

Leon bent down to Mason's level, patting him on his head and smiling. "We're down eight to ten. Sidney is playing chess right now, just like you did against Rugal, except this time, there won't be any sacrifice. You'll win this, as long as you don't try to take it head on. We believe in you, Mason. Make everyone proud, yeah?"

Mason nodded once, and then forced out his normal bluffing persona. "Who do you think I am...? Of course I'll win this! That thing better pray it can still walk when I'm done..!"

Mason stepped into the ring. Though the demon was on the other side, it's monstrous figure still towered over the mischief mage. Mason shook off his nervousness, pulling his toboggan down just above his copper colored eyes as he pulled out his slingshot and spun it in his hand.

Tobias let out a chuckle. "Well, since team Tartaros didn't want to make a substitution. It seems we're ready." He then raised his hand to the air. "Ready!?"

"Fight!"


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Momentum Shift! The True Nymph!

"Fight!"

Tobias threw his hand down, initiating the fight between Maggie's stone demon and the mischief mage, Masoj Calvot. Those copper eyes that usually caused everyone trouble, was now shaking in fear. What did Sidney get him into? What did he get himself into? The young boy had just come to a realization that he was not ready for a fight with a demon. Yet, he remembered what the ghost mage said. All he had to do, was push the monstrosity out the ring. He gulped, the lump in his throat forcing its way down before he shakily raised his slingshot. "I...I can do this...! For Shaman's Haven...and the world!"

The stone demon was on the move, methodically walking towards the kid. Though it took its time, it only took a few steps before the demon stood over the mage - it's shadow covering Mason completely, along with the little space behind him. Mason was frozen still. He was aiming his slingshot, but it seemed he had no will to fire. Natsu and the others watched as the demon reared its rocky left fist backwards. "Mason!" Natsu then yelled. "Move! You're going to get crushed!"

It was too late. "I can't...I can't." Mason lowered his head, a shadow over his eyes as he stood in defeat. The demon swung its heavy fist down, crushing the body into the ground completely.

"MASON!" Roy cried out for the body under the fist of the giant demon. The demon's punch was so strong that it's forearm was submerged into the ground under the arena. Gasps and silence filled the air. Even the dark mages were in shock by the one punch carnage the demon created.

"M-Mason..." Roy sobbed as he fell to his knees. "I told you not to..."

"...And I think it's safe to say that the score is now seven to ten, Tartarus!" Maggie announced as the stone demon removed his hand from the ground. "We told you that this wasn't going to be fun for you blokes, but that's what happens when you place a kid into the match - what's that!?"

Once the demon removed its fist from the ground, stuck to it was Mason... Or at least, it looked like Mason. A second later, what was left of the supposed Mischief mage turned into stone, which soon dissolved into nothing but dust.

"Clever." Cobra murmured with a grin, causing the other members of Oracion Seis to turn to him in confusion.

"I can't...LOSE!" His voice rung out throughout the room. Through a magic seal he appeared in the air behind the stone demon. "They're counting on me here! Projectile: High Impact!" Still in midair, the upside down mage pulled his slingshot back as far as it would pull, and then fired a single pellet that ran through another magic seal. That caused the pellet to pick up speed up to an immeasurable force. The bullet slammed against the demon's skull; right between the eyes as it turned right into the bullet. The impact caused the demon to stumble backwards continuously until it reached the edge. Teetering, the demon was finally pushing his momentum back towards the arena.

"Don't be Bacchus! Finish the job kid!" Gajeel yelled through cupped hands.

"I got it." Mason said calmly, and everyone could see it in his eyes. He was no longer shaking. In fact, this expression was new to everyone. Mason was, focused. Quickly, he loaded up his slingshot again, aiming for the floor in front of the demon as he fired two more pellets. Through magic seals they both ran, turning into ice coated pellets. Once they hit the ground, right before the demon took its first recovered step, the monstrosity slipped from stepping on the ice, slamming head first into the arena floor. Mason quickly began running towards the demon once it fell. Once there, he placed his hands on the demon's head, and began pushing, attempting to push it out of the ring.

"Does he even have the strength for that!?" Natsu asked, watching intently.

"Normally, I'm sure not." Leon responded. "But the demon is on slippery ice...maybe..."

Just as Leon predicted, the demon's body slowly began to move off the arena.

"He's...he's doing it!" Roy yelled from the cage. "Come on Mason! A bit further!"

Maggie grit her teeth, watching in frustration until she finally stood up, slapping the table with her palms and breaking it in half. "If you don't get your arse up right now and finish this twit off I'll ruin you myself you wanker I'm not gonna spare you!"

On command, just before Mason could finally push it off, the demon rose to its feet. Eyes widening, Mason tried to run away to gain space, only to nearly slip on the ice himself, which gave the demon enough time to grab him - it's hand big enough to squeeze his entire body. Only Mason's arms were free. "He was so close!" Lily growled, clenching his paws in frustration. Struggling, Mason tried to pull himself out of the Stone Demon's grip. "I...I'm not done yet!" He cried out, still attempting to pull himself free. "Oh you're done alright!" Maggie yelled as she gave the demon a thumbs down, signaling for it to finish the mage off. The demon then began squeezing on Mason's body,

Causing him to cry out in pain as his body began to making popping noises - as if his bones were breaking like twigs. "I... I'm not!"

"Oh just shut up and die." Maggie called out again, waiting for Mason to collapse.

"Don't...tell me what to do...!" The copper eyed male yelled back as he placed his left arm inside the grip of the demon. The popping amplified due to him adding his arm to the equation, but with a loud yell, Mason pulled his arm back out, holding up the slingshot. With a semi crushed left arm, Mason took aim at the ground. "One more time! High Impact!"

"Mason!"

"Do it!"

He pulled the band back, and fired the pellet that slammed into the ground. Suddenly, the arena floor broke apart from the edge where the demon stood, and the stone monster fell back along with the broken arena edge - falling out of the arena as it released its grip from Mason. The mischief mage fell on the arena floor, and the demon, out. Tobias looked on in a bit of shock, but then slowly raised his hand.

"Don't you say it, Tobias!" Maggie yelled. Still? Tobias' hand was up. "The stone demon is out. The winner of this round is..Mason of Shaman's Haven!"

Happiness swelled in him. Mason rose to his feet, both fists clenched as he screamed into the air with closed eyes. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"He did it!" Natsu yelled as he high-fives Gajeel and Lily.

"I can't believe Sidney's planned worked." Evanee said to herself. Mason knew he was done, he quickly hobbled off the arena floor after Tobias re-shackled him.

"Mason!" Roy, the ace of Shaman's Haven yelled. "I'm proud of you! I can't wait to tell Satoshi of your accomplishment!"

Mason gave the ace a nod, grinning happily as he sat down back in the cage. Sidney placed a hand on the young boy's head, causing Mason to smile.

"See that kid!?" Reve called out - Mason turning to face the gunslinger. "That's respect! You've just earned it from the strongest mage in Fiore! Not only that! Look at your teammates!"

Mason turned away from Reve to follow his instruction, noticing the grins and looks of focus and determination on their faces. "You've pumped everyone up! We may still be down, but it's in our favor now! This is what's called a momentum shift! You were the catalyst! Now it's time for us to take it home!"

Mason looked on for a bit more, finally smiling again. "I'm the catalyst... We'll win this thing.." He spoke softly before closing his eyes for rest.

"Drop him out, Tobias." Sidney called to him. "Mason is done, we can't use him anymore."

Tobias arched a brow. "So it's now seven to nine, you know that right?"

"We're aware." Evanee added as she stepped out of the cage and into the ring now shackle free. "But we're still riding that kid's momentum. So, which demon is up?"

"I don't like your attitude." Ruika replied, her red eye becoming more dominant between it and the other. She turned to her demon, and snapped her fingers. "Hey, show her what the demon of the skies can do."

On command, the winged demon leapt onto the arena floor, leaving nearly no space between it and Evanee. This only caused the Twilight Zone ace to grin, just slightly as she crouched into a fighting stance.

Suddenly, her magic aura began to pick up, a green aura coating her as the entire room began to shake.

"What is she!?" Angel of Oracion Seis asked.

"A nymph." Minerva answered with a grin, one of the few ignoring the shaking. "A nymph mage I guess you could say."

"Nymph...mage?" Byron of Silent Sanctum questioned.

"I'm sure there's other names for it." Minerva replied. "But there's just some magic that's believed to be too powerful for human use. That's malarkey, but only a few people out there can prove it. While some of you dabble in that feeble magic, like Requip and plain elemental magic, there's a few of us out there that dwell in magic based on powerful beings, whether they exist or not. The dragons, the gods, the demon...then there's magic which can control time and space. The list goes on, and somewhere on that list, is the nymph."

Still astonished by the powering up Evanee was going through, Racer turned to Minerva. "Wait, so if you had to choose a winner for this match..."

Minerva smirked once more. "Match? If she's what she claims to be, and knows the true extent of her magic, this entire tournament will easily come to a close; with that Evanee girl as the winner."

In shock, Racer turned back to the arena, Tobias was trying to keep his balance as he raised his right arm. "R-ready!"

"Gain your composure you idiot." Daityas scolded. Tobias quickly did his best to straighten up, then threw his hand down. "Begin..!"

Once Tobias started the match, the sky demon opened its arms and then clapped them together with Evanee in the middle. Instead of moving, Evanee raised both of her arms; her aura still around her and rising. The impact of the parried blow caused the arena to shake even more, adding on to Evanee's rising power. The nymph then turned her cold eyes towards the demon's own set.

"...Everyone down." Rylo said, realizing what's coming.

"Huh?" Sting turned to him, but Rylo yelled again. "Everyone down! Dark mages, you too! Get down!"

"What's he yelling about?" Midnight asked, turning to the only person with knowledge on Evanee's magic. His eyes then quickly widened once he realized that Minerva was no longer in her seat. "Where did she.."

"Get down!" Rylo yelled once more before ensuring his own safety. Twilight Zone members were the first to follow instruction. Then everyone followed as Evanee slowly began to spread her arms outwards and upwards. From the ground, walls, and even random places in the air, raw Eternano began to form and float towards Evanee, causing her aura to rise even higher. The ground around her and the demon began to shatter, as well as the roof and some of the walls. Daityas arched a brow as he watched on. Everyone else was in somewhat of a panic, holding on to something for stability as she continued. Finally..

"Eternano Release."

Both hands in the air, a massive explosion occurred with Evanee as the core. All the Eternano she collected was now being used as an explosive wave, clearing the entire arena except the single file she stood upon. Once the blinding light of the explosion dissipated, and everyone could see again, all that was left was Evanee standing on the line arena tile. Way off to right, was a lifeless demon; burned by the magic release. As if it wasn't bad enough that it was out of bounds. Ruika raised her head behind the chair she hid behind during the explosion, only to see her demon dead on the ground. Her mouth gaped in shock from the view. Back over to the now swinging cages, Rylo raised his head as he looked over to the ace, the smile on his face infused with fear. "H..heh... That's one way to keep the momentum rolling."

Recovering, Tobias slowly raised his hand. "The...the winner is, Evanee of Twilight Zone!"

"Just as I suspected." Minerva chimed in with a grin as she reappeared in her seat.

Kiora's eyes were as wide as ever as she moved her hair from her visage. "I...that bitch... Who is she!? I want to rip her throat out for some reason! How dare she try to prove she's the top female in this room. No...no I won't stand for this..! Once this is all over, I'll kill her myself! I swear it! None of you women here are worth the dirt under my heels. Evanee I'll...-"

"Oi. Kiora, you okay over there?" Maggie asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kiora quickly slapped it away as she walked off.

"Where are you going?" Daityas asked as he watched her walk away.

"Bathroom!" She replied shortly before leaving.

"I think she's having a meltdown." Rugal added before turning his attention back to the broken arena. "I can fix this, but it'll take a couple of minutes."

"Take your time." Evanee replied. Sidney then called out to her. "Are you fine to go again?"

"I won't be able to use that technique again." Evanee replied. "But that wasn't my magic. That was the Eternano in this room. So it's like I haven't even started yet. So yeah, I'm fine."

"Eternano*?" Lucy asked, blinking in confusion.

"Think of it as raw magic." Mirajane commented. "Raw magic just floating around, unseeable yet there in front of you. Or at least, it was until she absorbed it."

Lucy turned back to Evanee, who was patiently waiting as the arena was being rebuilt by Rugal's dimensional magic. "It's scary to know she can do that. How far behind am I compared to others? I know I'm no where near the strongest in Fairy Tail, I'm just happy to be a part of this guild. But, on the outside looking in, they're monsters. Then there's people like Sidney, and Evanee. Luke continues to grow... Even Leon went toe to toe against Natsu. I'm glad they're on our side, but if the world wasn't in danger, how much would I really fit in?"

Minutes later, Kiora came back, sitting back down in her seat without saying a word. Arms and legs were crossed as she arrived just in time. The stage was rebuilt and Evanee began loosening her shoulders for the next round. "It's eight to seven, right? Hit me with your next demon."

"Hit em with another!" Natsu yelled.

"Evanee." Daityas called to her. "I didn't think I would have to force my hand until Sidney came around. But it seems /my/ demon is a necessity."

Daityas snapped his fingers, and forth it walked- the tall yet scrawny demon of death stepped into the arena. It's appearance caused Sidney to raise his brows. "Hey, don't touch it."

"Don't touch it?" Evanee questioned. "How am I supposed to beat it then? I'm sure if I hit it hard enough, I won't have to worry about the repercussions."

"Evanee!"

She waved off Sidney's warning, walking towards the demon that stood before her. Now only feet apart, Evanee crouched once again, awaiting the start of the match.

"What're you so scared for!?" Natsu asked with an excited look on his face. "Look at that puny thing! She's gonna wreck it with one blow! Gildarts sure would!"

Sidney refused to speak anymore, taking Evanee's defiance to listen as cockiness. Instead, he waited for the nymph to learn on her own.

She stood in her stance, as confident as ever. The demon of death itself stood across from her, and suddenly...with its aura releasing, Evanee quickly backed away. She could feel it before it even touched her. Whatever the demon was releasing, had the potential to end her before she even started.

"What is that!?" Gajeel asked as he looked on, noting the blackened aura peeling off of the demon.

"Death.." Sidney replied ominously. "Any living thing it touches will fall instantly."

"How is Evanee supposed to fight that!?" Natsu chimed in.

"She'll have to find a way now. We were going to run into it eventually. If she can pull off a miracle, then it'll be that much easier for us. But if she can't, then our chances just became that much more slim."

"Tch." Kiora scoffed quietly. "Seems she'll die before I can get to her. Oh well, if she can't be a measly demon, then she's not worth my time."

"Well now little Nymph." Minerva chimed in, speaking aloud. "Let's see what that magic of yours is capable of. Or are you just a shell that carries something you're not exactly capable of wielding?

Are you a true nymph or not?"


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Demons Among Us. Another Summoner of the Stars!

Evanee stood backed into a corner. The heels of her feet sat on the edge as the radius of the aura finally stopped stretching outward. "Tch.." Her only response as she waited for Tobias to officially start the match.

Ruika slowly made her way to her feet, seething as she reached for one of her keys. "I'll show her..! You're not going to humiliate me! One-shotting my demon doesn't make you scary!"

"Ruika." Daityas simply called out to the dark celestial mage.

"Don't stop me, I'm ending her!"

"If you raise that key any higher, I'll be the one to end you."

Ruika turned to face him, Daityas eyes shadowed by his hair, yet glowing red as if he was angered. Ruika slowly lowered her arm, placing the key back against her hip as she sat down, still highly upset at the outcome of her demon's match.

"Now then." Daityas said as he turned back to the arena. "Tobias, if you will."

"Right." He nodded before raising his hand. He stood at a farther distance than usual thanks to the aura from Daityas' demon. "Combatants ready?"

Evanee nodded slowly.

"Begin!"

The nymph didn't hesitate. Quickly, her eyes adopted a golden color with a pattern similar to that of a magic seal, after which two identical seals formed above and below the death demon in front of her. Though she couldn't see inside the thick fog that was the demon's expanding aura, Evanee knew that she was right on target. "Star Gazer!" She screamed, and a bright flash emitted between the two seals, paralyzing the demon with a jolt of raw magic. Suddenly, the aura around the demon vanished, leaving the demon just a body as it quickly fell to a knee.

"What is this woman!?" Cobra asked aloud as he watched on. Everyone was in awe just from her opening move. The demon of death itself was down on one knee, heavily damaged from a single attack. Evanee wasted no time as she sprinted in. "You're not deadly without your deathly aura around you!" She yelled as she swung forward a heavy right haymaker. It wasn't until the last second that the demon raised its head, and then slid to the side to avoid the incoming blow, leaving Evanee to slam her fist into the ground. The demon the stood up, and let out a shriek as the aura came back. This time, Evanee was caught in it.

"E-Evanee!" Rylo yelled out from the cage, no longer able to see the nymph for the time being. Suddenly, Evanee came tumbling out of the thick black cloud, quickly scrambling to her feet after being blown out. As she stood, Daityas began laughing, garnering everyone's attention.

"Oh my! You are a special one! How you're still alive let alone still capable of fighting is amazing. If I didn't know any better, you would think that there was another demon among us."

"I'm no demon." Evanee barked back towards the King of Hell. But, before she could further her reply, she caught glimpse of her arms. Veins were visible. Her arms were now a shade of gray, the appearance of them looked as if they were withering away.

"I told you!" Sidney yelled from the cage. "Don't go near it! Long range attacks only! You'll die touching that thing when it's aura is up."

Not that she was fully listening to the ghost mage, but she understood the peril she was in without Sidney's insight. Still, Evanee balled up her weakened fists as she turned back to the incoming aura.

"I'll just repeat the process then." She stated as she once again created to magic seals, above and below the demon. "Star-"

Before she could finish her attack name, the demon shot through its own aura with immense speed, grabbing the nymph as the aura slowly began to catch up to them both. Struggling, Evanee slowly began prying its hand open.

"She's not going to make it in time." Rugal stated with a grin. Evanee knew this as well. That's why she stopped, but as he did. An accumulation of magic occurred in her mouth after taking a deep breath.

"Fornax." She whispered, and then blew a magic breath towards the demon, right into the eyes which caused it to drop her. The poisonous breath caused the demon to writhe about as the aura began to weaken as an effect. Once she gathered space between the two, Evanee raised her hands to the sky as she began to focus her magic into her hands. "Constellational Stream!" She yelled out, firing a beam of light directly into the demon, pushing it back and back until it finally placed a hole into the demon's left shoulder. The demon let out another shriek of pain, holding its arm in pain.

"Yeah Evanee!" Luke cheered from the cages, louder than the mixture of cheers from the other mages around him.

"Finish it off!" Natsu and Gajeel yelled together. Evanee attempted to oblige them, raising her hands to the air once again as she focused her magic into her palms. She was ready to fire, until what she saw shocked and disgusted her.

The demon began to pull its own arm, gradually ripping it off until it finally did so.

"What the!?" Leon shivered in disgust as the demon of death threw its arm out of the arena. Even Evanee dropped her guard as she watched in horror. No blood dripped from the wound. No tendons or veins were present. Instead, in a matter of seconds, its arm began to pulsate, and the opening of the wound began to not only close, but form a new arm.

"It's...it's regenerating!?" Aloysis asked from the stands, shocked in his own right. "Daityas what is this monstrosity!?" Jikan asked as he turned to him. Suddenly, the King of Hell began laughing once more - boisterously. "Think of this beauty as, assurance. With the reason that dark guilds are in existence gone, thanks to Natsu Dragneel himself, I'm the one you bow to. Zeref isn't coming back, you all know that. That means I'm no longer just the King of Hell, but the King of Fiore and all dark mages as well! Both the former King of Fiore, and Zeref no longer exist! This is my realm now!" He stood up from his own speech, arms out as he continued his maniacal laughter. "Why do you think you're all here!? For a show? Yes, but it's much more than that! This is a new world order I'm sure you can tell by now!"

He picked up the book at his table, holding it in the air. "With your previous savior's book of forbidden magic, I can conjure any demon I want and more. Who dares to oppose that huh!?"

No one spoke aloud. Until, Natsu did at least.

"It doesn't matter how many you call from that book!" The pink haired wizard yelled back. "We're going to stop you! We won't let you take away our future, our now! We all have something to live for! So we're not going to stop here! That's why Evanee is going to win this fight! We have faith in her, because our futures' now depend on her!"

"Tch..." Evanee side eyed Natsu and the others, thinking to herself. "...Don't put your hopes on my shoulders, Salamander. I have my own ambitions."

"And besides." Gajeel added. "Whatever she doesn't finish, I'll just clean up myself! Gihe!"

"Hey! Who said you were next!?" Natsu yelled, banging heads with Gajeel. "I did, Salamander! You gotta problem!?"

"Yeah I do!"

As the two continued their bickering, Evanee refocused on the demon, who's arm was halfway done with its regeneration.

"I'm not waiting for this thing to finish." She said aloud while lunging towards the demon once more. Unfortunately, Evanee had to stop short - the demon's aura spreading once more. Hitting the brakes, Evanee quickly leapt back out of range, growling at the frustrating situation. "If it's just going to regenerate, then killing it isn't an option right now. But can it stay unconscious? Or does its regeneration effect its consciousness as well? No time to find that out. A ring out it is then."

Back in the stands, the former mage of Sabertooth, Minerva continued to watch with an amused expression. "Show us more, Evanee. Don't tell me this is it. It'd be a shame to finally meet a nymph who can't conquer a demon. Are they really the dominant type? Or will you show us different?"

"Alright." Evanee crouched once more as she slowly exhaled. She then began to inhale, taking in a deep breath before lurching her head forward and firing what she called a "Satanic Screech." The high pitched scream took a visible form, rushing towards the demon and destroying the ground before it. As it did so, the demon exerted its deathly aura again, pushing it outward until it physically collided with the screech. After a temporary stalemate, the screech broke through, though weakened. The weakened attack slammed into the demon, still pushing it backwards as it teetered close to the edge.

"There!" She yelled as she leapt into the air.

Evanee engulfed one hand in Hell born flames and the other in her underworld magic. By swinging her arms around, Evanee created a highly destructive vortex of flames and darkness, mixing together into their own unison raid as it hurled towards the demon.

"It's nothing but a one trick rabbit!" Natsu yelled.

"Pony..." Leon corrected as he squinted his eyes towards the uneducated dragon slayer. Natsu ignored him as he made his point. "All it has is its aura! Evanee is about to finish it here!"

After Natsu's declaration, a grin appeared on Daityas' features. Simultaneously, the demon raised its hands, and from it, a blackened orb appeared and began spinning. Evanee's combined vortex slammed into the ball, swirling into and combining with the death ball.

Natsu's mouth gaped open, now choking on his own words and taking back his previous statement.

"Dammit.." The only word she could utter to express her frustration as she touched back down on the arena floor. The demon quickly aimed for the nymph the second she touched down, and then hoisted the giant ball over its shoulder before launching it towards her. Her eyes widened. As the ball traveled, it grew in size, taking up the entire area of the arena. Evanee knew she had no other choice.

"She's gonna die!" Sting yelled. "She can't touch that thing!"

"I don't think she has much of a choice!" Luke added in.

"Evanee..." Rylo watched on as the nymph stood strong. She then crouched low, and held both palms out as the death ball slammed into them. The ball pushed her back before she came to a sliding stop, but that was the least of her worries. As she placed her bare skin against the deathly orb, her skin began to what looked like rotting away. She could feel it to. It was as if her body was quickly turning into dust. At least, that's how it felt to her. She had to act quickly, and she did as she crouched even lower, attempting to lift the orb up over her so she could have room to avoid it.

Daityas raised a brow, but Arcturus said it for him. "She can't be normal. Her hands are gracing death itself, yet she's willing to fight on. I'm not buying that power of nakama bull shit either. She's doing this on her own.."

Daityas stayed quiet as he looked on, and gradually, Evanee raised the orb up like she planned. With shaky arms and legs, she finally tossed it over her head, just missing her head as she fell to the arena floor. Her skin was completely grey and veiny. No movement came from her besides her slow breathing as she laid face first on the arena ground.

"Evanee..." Rylo looked on in disbelief. "This has to stop... She can't go on..." He murmured to himself. Tobias walked over to the middle of the ring, still staying off so he wouldn't get caught in the aura. "1...2...3-"

"Tobias."

He turned to Daityas, the one who called him. "Stop counting."

Tobias did as he was told, still confused as to why. Daityas then turned to the demon. "Finish her off."

"Hey! You can't do that!" Takeru yelled.

"You can't just command it to kill her! She's down, just count to ten!"

"You know the rules, plebeian." Daityas replied as he snapped his fingers. The demon began walking towards Evanee again.

"STOP!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Rylo stood in front of everyone locked in the cage as he yelled again. "She can't take anymore! Look at her! She's already on the brink of death! You've literally taken life away from her! Just let her go!"

Daityas' grin began to widen as he held out a hand, halting the demon's actions. "Sure... I'll spare her."

Everyone was in shock now as they turned to Daityas. But, of course, the King of Hell added a twist. "If...you're willing to take her place."

All eyes were on Rylo once Daityas laid down the ultimatum. Yet, without hesitation, the magician lowered his head.

"I didn't think so." Daityas said as he raised his hand. But before he could give his demon the signal. "Of course I will."

Daityas stopped his hand movement, arching another brow before giving a sadistic smile. "Oh?"

No one objected. They knew either way, a loss was a loss. "Yeah, I'll do it."

"But Rylo, what about-"

"I'll do it!" He yelled, cutting Ceaser off. "It's fine, Evanee will be out the tournament, Sidney's seen what the demon is capable of now. It's obviously their strongest, so once he beats it, you guys will have the advantage once again. So let's do it."

"Sidney... Rylo..."

The magician's eyes widened as he heard her strained voice. He turned back to the nymph, who was shakingly planting her hand against the ground in order to push herself up. "Evanee! Stop! You can't-"

"S...shut up. I told you...I've told you in the beginning. Never spare me."

"This isn't a normal fight Evanee! This is your life!"

"And Sidney? You...you're saying Sidney will finish this thing off because he's stronger than I am...? Is that what you're saying?" Her words continued to strain from her throat, now to her knees as she continued to try and push herself up. Rylo's worry soon started to mix with anger. "Is that why you're refusing to stay down!?" He cried out, baring his teeth between sentences. "Because you're that stubborn to prove you're better!? Your life is at stake! Who can you surpass if you're dead! You're already knocking on death's door! Just let it go! You can't win every fight!"

Though she heard his words, she did the exact opposite. Instead, Evanee made her way to her feet, teetering back and forth before regaining her stance. "I'm taking this demon out right here. Daityas, disregard Rylo's plea, it's not his choice."

Daityas merely shrugged before turning to his demon. "You heard her. Kill her."

The demon began walking towards Evanee, and as it did, Evanee conjured a magic seal under her feet.

"I don't have much magic left..." She said as she began floating in the magic seal. Suddenly, she began to chant aloud a familiar set of words. A chant that caught Lucy's attention.

_Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._

"No way.. It can't be." Lucy walked to the bars that separated her and the outside as she watched. "How does she.."

Natsu caught on too as his ears perked. "That incantation..."

"Oi!" Pantherlily called out as he pointed to Evanee. "That's Lucy's spell right!?"

A golden flash sprouted from the magic seal below her, followed by what was known as the 88 stars. The stars began to glow a golden light and before the aura of the demon could reach Evanee...

"Urano Metria!" She exclaimed her attack, and the 88 golden orbs all slammed into the deathly aura. Halfway through the attack, the aura finally dissipated, leaving the other half of the technique to slam against the demon itself. The only problem was, Evanee was already low on magic power, so as the forty four remaining stars rammed against the demon, they proved to be not as effective as usual. Still, the damage was done as the attack ended, and the death demon was now red all over with weak spots. Evanee landed back on the ground, everyone in awe at them both. "Now...to finish you off!"

The nymph yelled at the top of her lungs as she forced her body to move. Halfway towards her destination, the deathly aura began to manifest once more.

"No...it wasn't enough!" Sidney pointed out.

"Evanee!" Rylo yelled once more, but she was too far gone. Right fist cocked back, Evanee lunged in...and the deathly aura consumed her whole.

Silence fell upon the entire room. No one said a word as Tobias began walking over just to make sure it was over. Yet, it wasn't.

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, and from the black aura surrounding them, the demon went flying out, out of the arena and violently tumbling into the ground and against the wall for a ring out. As the aura disappeared, Evanee fell to the ground, face first once again with even slower breathing as her grey veiny skin now appeared as her entire person. Looking on in shock, Tobias blinked a few times before raising his hand. "Somehow...! The winner is Evanee Carlisle of Twilight Zone!"

"She did IIIIIIIIIT!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tobias roughly picked the nymph up, shackling her anyways as he threw her back into the holding cage. Sidney caught her and then placed her down gently next to Mason. "Fool." He said before tugging on his scarf once, a sign of respect.

"I hope she dies over there." Kiora said, snarling to herself.

"It still wasn't enough for me." Minerva said to herself, smiling. "But it was a good show."

"Great show!" Aloysis yelled, pumping a fist into the air. "Give us more!"

The other dark guild mages began cheering as well. Daityas on the other hand, sat in his seat quietly. Arcturus took note of the King's disposition and chuckled loud enough for Daityas to catch it. "Your rules, Daityas. Make sure you play by them."

Daityas scoffed at Arc's words, still not speaking as Tobias took the ring again.

"Urano Metria... How did she learn that? I needed Hibiki for it.. Did she really learn it on her own? Is that even the best in her arsenal?" Lucy was dumbfounded. She even shook a little, thinking about how much of a monster Evanee was.

"No one has that much power. Is that what a nymph is? It just sounds like a demon to me..

Maybe she's just another demon among us wizards. She can't be human..."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Soul Made of Iron, Heart Made of Steel!

"I told you I was next!" Gajeel exclaimed with a wide grin as he began cracking his knuckles. He stood on the new arena floor as he awaited his demon to appear. Behind him, back in the cage, was a comically knocked out Natsu Dragneel - steam leaving his ears as Leon stood over him disappointingly.

"Well, Gajeel did cheap shot him." Leon said with a sigh. As Leon watched Natsu twitch about in pain, focus went back to Gajeel. Tobias looked around towards his comrades. "So am I up, or?"

Kiora raised a finger, pointing towards her demon who caught glimpse of it. Kiora then pointed to the arena, and the aquatic demon entered. As it walked over, Gajeel side eyed both Kiora and Maggie. "Oi, what happened to the commentary? I was looking forward to that part." His question came with a grin as he turned back to his opponent. Kiora and Maggie both decided to pay Gajeel no mind as Tobias took the arena. The Iron Dragon Slayer took a stance, anxiously waiting for the fight to begin.

"Let's go Gajeel!" Natsu yelled as if the dragon slayer didn't just knock him down earlier. Leon side eyed Natsu once more. "Weren't you two just fighting for who went next?"

"Gajeel has this!" Lily added, arms crossed over as he watched on.

"Combatants ready?" Tobias asked as he raised his arm to the sky. Gajeel nodded once, and the demon didn't move.

"Begin!"

Off the start, Gajeel was quickly on the move, rearing his arm back as it turned into an iron pole. "Iron Dragon's Club!" He yelled as the iron pole arm extended, rushing towards the demon. The demon elected not to counter. Instead, the iron rod ran right through it, and demon's body began rippling - just like...

"Water?" Gajeel asked, surprised at the outcome of his opening attack. With the demon unharmed by his attack, Gajeel retracted his arm. "It's like Juvia, yeah? Water embodiment? Seems like I picked the short straw on this one. Gihe..no matter! You'll all fall the same!"

As he yelled, Gajeel began inhaling the air around him, sucking in as much as his lungs could handle before lurching his head forward. "Roar of the Iron Dragon!"

With the giant funnel of Iron Dragon Slaying Magic rushing towards the aquatic demon, it waited until the last possible second before counteracting. Quickly, it dropped its form, turning into nothing but a large puddle of water. The roar soared right over him, slamming into the wall before exploding harmlessly.

"Kch!" Gajeel bared his teeth as the puddle then disappeared completely, seeping into the cracks of the arena tiles. "Don't hide!" Gajeel roared as he shifted his eyes back and forth, searching for his demon opponent. "Keep your guard up, idiot." Sidney added, and before Gajeel could retort, a giant blast of water shot out from under him, destroying the tile under Gajeel and sending him to the roof violently. Slammed into the roof and the pressurized water, Gajeel fell from the height. On his way down however, the demon signified that it wasn't done, and reformed into its normal body before its right arm turned into a long blade made from its water. "Shit!" Gajeel quickly covered himself with his arms, but the demon leapt up and sliced past him anyways. A loud clanging sound occurred and Gajeel landed on one knee. He then stood, turning back to the demon with another grin, and his right hand as his patented Iron Dragon's Sword. "Strange." Gajeel began. "Your embodiment doesn't seem to be effective when you're on the attack, huh?" He pointed to the demon's left shoulder, showing the pulsating red cut.

"...You should of kept that information to yourself.." Sidney replied with a disappointed look on his face. "Whys that!?" Gajeel asked, turning back to not only see the disappointment on Sidney's face, but Natsu's and every other mage in the room. Gajeel was no comically in shock with everyone's expression the same. "W-what I do?"

"They can learn, Gajeel." Selene commented from the back. "We've been over this back at White Eclipse.

"Even I remembered that." Natsu added in.

"Idiot." Reve decided to contribute while the others just stood there with their disappointed faces. "I...I forgot.." Gajeel slumped over, ashamed that everyone was now looking down on him.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Gajeel's arm reshaped back to his normal fist. "Oh well, it won't stop me from winning this fight!"

"He's gonna lose." Sidney said aloud to no one in particular. Too bad everyone around him heard his negativity. Natsu turned around with a pissed off look, clinching his fist as he yelled. "Shut up! He's fine!"

"Gajeel doesn't lose." Lily added with a glare. Sidney didn't reply to either one. Instead, he remained leaning against the cage bars as he watched the ongoing fight between the Dragon Slayer and Demon. Natsu turned back to the fight as well. "Let's go Gajeel!"

"Hurry up and finish it off." Takeru added. "The score is still close you know."

"Shut up I know!" Gajeel barked back. Growling slightly towards the demon, he began contemplating his next move. The demon had its mind made up however. From its left arm, which it raised without any hesitation; as if the giant cut on its shoulder wasn't even there, a miniature whirlpool appeared - hovering over its palm. The aquatic demon then dropped it, and the whirlpool expanded in size - taking up the entire middle of the arena. "A whirpool?" Gajeel questioned, and just as he did, his feet began sliding towards it, pulling him closer with each passing second. No matter how much he struggled, the whirlpool continued to pull him towards it. "D-dammit!" He yelled as he slammed his right fist into the ground. He then held onto the edge of the fist sized crater in order to stop the pull - buying himself some time as he thought of a counter. "It's hiding behind that thing, but if I get close to it, it'll suck me in. Need a plan..!"

Time was running out as the whirlpool was becoming stronger with each passing moment. "Tch!" He finally gave up on thinking. "Screw it!" Gajeel yelled as he released his grip. He then lunged towards the whirlpool. While doing so, his body became covered in iron scales. "I'll just smash through it!"

Right fist cocked back, Gajeel fired a steel fist into the whirlpool the second he entered. Nothing happened. At least, not to the whirlpool. Everything went black for the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Slowly, his eyes opened. Still groggy, he looked over to his right, and all he saw was the other mages yelling. Yet, he couldn't make out what they were saying. He also noticed that they looked like...as if they were underwater? He opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out were bubbles. "!" Quickly closing his mouth again, covering it with his hands as well, everything started to click for him. He was the one now drowning, not everyone else. Thanks to the bubbles, as Gajeel looked back over to the side, he noticed that Tobias stopped counting. The Tartaros mage held up nine fingers and a grin. Gajeel was one second away from being counted unconscious. "I'm in that fight still!" He exclaimed in his thoughts, now turning every which way to find his opponent, the aquatic demon. "Where is it!?"

The demon in question was nowhere to be found...

{Ten Seconds ago.}

Gajeel has leapt into the whirlpool, instantly blacking out from the power of the water pressure.

"Idiot!" Orga yelled from the sidelines. "Is he okay!? Is he alive!?" Rogue asked worryingly. Everyone could see his silhouette, but it wasn't moving on its own. Besides the rapid spinning current that was the whirlpool, Gajeel's body remained still. Kiora then stood up, making her presence known to her demon. Everyone's attention was now on her as she called for her demon. "We don't preach mercy here babe. Finish him off. Take away his lungs..permanently."

The aquatic demon nodded. The monstrosity would then form into a puddle once more and seep into the arena floor.

"What's it doing?" Luke asked, watching carefully. His question was soon answered, as suddenly, the arena became flooded with the demon's water. The water then shot up, creating a cube of the water that covered the entire arena, up to the ceiling.

"What the!?" Natsu watched with widened eyes. "H-how?" Wendy pondered as well. Kiora simply huffed in satisfaction, sitting back down as she crossed her legs over. "Now, even if he awakens, there's no escape unless he leaves the arena."

"That's cheap!" Natsu yelled in retaliation. Kiora simply rolled her eyes. "You obviously haven't picked up on the trend her lizard boy. We don't care. This game was just designed for us to have some fun before we kill you all. Trust me. We won't lose even if you make it to the last demon."

"That's very ominous of you." Sidney replied on Natsu's behalf. "What do you mean exactly?" Kiora didn't respond to the question. Instead, she brought up a different point. "Oh, and that body of water he's laying in, isn't just water. The carbon in that liquid is slowly poisoning him. He'll be dead eventually."

Right after her explanation, a choir of mages screaming "Gajeel" began throughout the room in a desperate attempt to wake the dragon slayer.

{Now}

He could feel a painful sensation coursing through his body. It was making it hard for him to concentrate. Grimacing in pain, he had no idea what was happening to him. On top of that, there was still no sign of the demon anywhere.

"Did I win? Do I step out of the arena? And what's this pain I'm feeling?" These questions raced through Gajeel's mind as h floated around, unsure of what to do.

"GAJEEL!" The Salamander yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down while waving his shackled arms above his head. Gajeel still couldn't hear him, but it wasn't hard to spot such an antic. "Salamander? What are you..."

"Gajeel! Can you hear me!?"

Coincidently, Gajeel placed his hand behind his ear, making the gesture that he couldn't hear.

"Okay! We gotta help somehow!" Natsu replied in a comically panicking tone. Leon then snapped up. "Charades!"

"Charades!?" Natsu gave Leon a sardonic look. "Now isn't the time for games!"

"No! He can't hear us, but he can obviously see us! So if we act it out..."

"Then he can know what's happening!" Lily finished.

"Oi! That's smart!" Natsu replied. He then ran back to the front of their cage. "Okay! Gajeel!" He jumped up again to grab his attention.

"Hurry up, he's probably running out of air." Sidney stated as Natsu began.

"What's this idiot doing?" Gajeel thought to himself. Before he could question Natsu's sanity anymore, it quickly pieced together for him. He was trying to act out what happened while he was passed out.

Natsu lunged towards Leon who was spinning in an embarrassing fashion. As soon as Natsu landed near Leon, he feigned passing out, just as Gajeel did.

"I...leapt into the whirlpool...and passed out- I KNOW THAT PART!" Though he couldn't speak, his facial expression told the story of his anger.

Next, Pantherlily walked towards Natsu, pretending to be the demon Gajeel was up against.

"...What are they doing..?" Charla asked. "It looks like...charades?" Wendy answered, unsure herself. Everyone else just watched with embarrassed and confused faces of their own.

"We didn't come here for weak entertainment!" Racer yelled from the stands.

"With entertainment like this, it seems my prayer may come true." Midnight said with a bored yawn. Natsu and the other two continued on however. Lily began making wave motions with his shackled paws. Leon and Natsu laid on the floor under Lily, pretending to swim about.

"The arena is covered with wate- GIVE ME INFORMATION I DONT HAVE!"

He could feel his lungs burning now, almost completely out of air. At the same time, the painful sensation in his body began to amplify, causing him to wince incredibly. "Kch! I'm gonna die soon if I don't do something!"

Gajeel turned away from his comrades, deciding to take matters into his own hands. "I'll just have to get rid of this water!"

"Gajeel! We weren't done!" Natsu yelled to the one who obviously couldn't hear them. "The water's poisonous! That's the pain you feel!"

Falling on deaf ears, Gajeel swam around, looking for a solution to the flooded arena. That was until he grabbed his left arm - the pain from the poisonous water becoming unbearable. "What's going ON!?" His frustration began to show as Kiora began laughing. He turned to her, noticing her actions, and began growling to himself. His eyes became heavier by the second, head tilting back as he slowly began to cave. "It's...it's the water isn't it?"

He finally began to realize, though it seemed too late.

"I thought that demon did something to me earlier, but it's the water this whole time."

Still holding on to his arm, Gajeel began to slowly smile.

"Gajeel!" Lily yelled from the sidelines. "Don't close your eyes!"

"Lily..." Gajeel's eyes remained half lidded. "Lily?" Gajeel sat up in the water, now staring at his partner. "I can hear him!"

"Gajeel!" The exceed yelled again.

Gajeel touched his ears, and his eyes widened. "My ears feel different."

As he continued feeling his ears, he could now feel cracks in them. "Probably from the poison...but...can poison do this to iron?"

"Nothing can break my iron, shrimp!"

{Flashback}

Gajeel stood over a sitting Levy, who was amused by his actions as he grabbed his own bicep. "Iron is unbeatable!"

"Oh?" Levy chimed in. "What about when you first fought Natsu? Didn't your iron crack then?"

"I-uh..." He turned away, a bit embarrassed at the fight she brought up. "That was a fluke.

"And what about that diamond dragon slayer? Selene? Didn't her diamonds-"

"Alright!" He yelled. Levy giggled to herself before patting him on the arm. "Iron is strong, Gajeel, but I've been doing some reading."

"Go figure." He added before she raised a chemistry book to his face.

"Steel is much stronger!" She replied with a smile. He blinked once, then turned back to her. "Why are you telling me this nonsense?"

"Well." She replied. "Iron plus Carbon makes Steel. So if you can ever find carbon by itself, and infuse it with your iron, you'll become even stronger! I think that'll help a lot! But, I don't know how you would find Carbon by itself like that. There would have to be a lot of it too. In a place where it out shines the other elements."

Gajeel was barely listening at this point, running his finger through his ear to pick inside it. "Yeah, right, steel and carbon. I'm going to go train now." He waved the solid script mage off before walking out. Leaving her to pout as he walked away. "Jerk..! You'll wish you listened to me one day!"

{End Flashback.}

His eyes widened as far as they could. "That's what it is! These aren't cracks in my ears! My body... It's becoming..."

A wicked grin appeared on Gajeel's face.

"Hm? What's he smiling about?" Kiora asked aloud. Her question, quickly answered as Gajeel clinched his body tight. Loud clanging was heard through the water, and his body began changing to a different shade. Now silver instead of the grayish iron scales, the iron scales have turned into steel.

"What's happened to Gajeel?" Lily asked with wide eyes. "His body...that's not iron anymore."

"It's..."

"Steel...Dragon's..."

Gajeel's voice resonated around the room, even through the water as he raised his right hand upward. From his hand, a giant steel sword was created.

"...Sword!"

The Steel Dragon swung his sword hand down, and not only sliced through the poisonous water, but the arena as well, splitting it in half and causing the water to quickly drain into nothing.

"Amazing!" Lucy exclaimed, watching from the side.

"He did it!" The others cheered.

"Not so fast..." Sidney replied. Once everything had cleared, the aquatic demon was back in its original form, virtually unscathed as it stood on one side of the broken arena.

"Gajeel broke through the flood, but the water embodiment saved the demon. What's worse is..." Sidney sighed and turned to Gajeel, who was standing right in the middle...right between the arena, where he had split it. Tobias then quickly raised his hand. "Gajeel is out of the arena! The winner is Kiora's aquatic demon!"

Gajeel looked down, noticing he was no longer standing on the arena floor just as Tobias exclaimed. "S-shit!"

"No...he lost." Lily watched in disbelief.

"Agh! He was gonna pulverize that thing too!" Natsu added as he gripped the bars to the cage. Re-shackled, Gajeel walked back to, and entered the cage with the others. "Heh...my bad." He replied in a gloomy state.

"Don't sweat it." Leon replied. "We're only down seven to five."

"That's not helping." Gajeel replied with a side glare before sitting down against the bars. Leon sighed, but then turned back to Natsu and Takeru, who seemed to be angrily staring at Gajeel. "What's wrong with you two?" He asked.

"Steel, huh?" Takeru huffed. "That's nothing special."

"Nothing special at all." Natsu added, arms stubbornly crossed over his chest. The envy in their tone was more than obvious. Leon then yelled. "Is now the time for envy on your comrades!?"

"Hey Gajeel!" Maggie and Kiora yelled out simultaneously. His ears perked, and he turned to the two females he was taunting before the fight. "You want commentary, right love? Here ya go!"

And before Gajeel could reply, Kiora began.

"And with the idiot Iron Dragon Slayer unable to watch where he steps, leaving a ring out, the hero team is halfway away from being eliminated! What an idiot Maggie!"

"I couldn't agree more Kiora dear! Their entire momentum shift has shifted once again back to Tartaros' favor! What horrible luck!"

"Oh it wasn't luck Maggie. Just sheer stupidity!"

He seethed internally, trying his hardest to ignore the two.

"Anyways. With the hero team with only five members left. It's time for our special match of the day!"

"Special match?"

"It's nothing too special. Just a two on two this time instead of a one on one! Now, who wants to go up against..." Kiora pointed over towards Arc and Sora who both stood at the outside edge of the arena. In front of them, standing on the once again rebuilt arena floor, were the shadow and darkness demon. "That's right ladies and gents! It's the Darkness and the Shadow Demon! Ready for a terrible twosome team up!"

"This has me written all over it." Tak said as he stepped forward.

"In that case, I'll be your partner." Leon added as he too stepped forward. Natsu sighed, still anxious to go, but stood quietly as the two were let out of the cage and onto the arena floor. Rubbing his wrists, Takeru's eyes stayed glued to Arcturus'. "Just follow my lead, this is my element."

"That may be." Leon replied. "But, they're demons, not dragons. You're just a dragon slayer."

"Wrong, so like I said. Follow my lead."

Just like any other beginning, Tobias walked to the middle of the arena, hand in the air as he yelled. "Combatants ready?

Begin!"


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Demons vs Dragons! Two Angered Souls!

"Alright! Leon and Takeru are fighting together! Just from their strength alone they should be able to win this!" The confident look on Luke's face signified his belief in his guild mate, as well as Leon himself. The match had already started, yet neither side had yet to make a move. Instead, Takeru gave his competition a cold stare. The demons returned the stare emotionlessly - waiting either the commands of their masters, or for their opponents to make a move. Leon on the other hand, was only still because he was confused as to why no one was moving yet. He chose to slide into a defensive stance prior to the start of the match, deciding it wasn't a good choice since no one was advancing.

"Tch." He clicked his teeth. "I thought you said to follow your lead?" Leon asked Takeru. He didn't receive an answer. Takeru was too fixated on his opponent. Leon then began to think to himself. "Screw this. I'll take the lead after all."

He crouched, and then took off - lunging towards the shadow demon first. As he did, acid dragon slaying magic wrapped around his fists.

"Hm?" Cobra was now at full attention. "Acid huh? You have my interest." A sly grin appeared on his features as he continued to watch. Leon neared his target, and swung his acid infused right fist towards the demon's sternum. Just before connection, the demon disappeared. "Huh!?" Leon quickly landed, sliding to a stop as he turned back to the demon reappearing right where it previously stood. The shadow demon then turned, aiming a sledgehammer of a fist for the top of Leon's skull. A quick roll, and the Acid Dragon narrowly escapes a devastating blow. Nothing but a giant fist sized crater where it struck the ground, the demon turned again, this time vanishing once more as Leon's acid infused kick to the chin led to another fail. "Ugh! It just keeps vanishing!" He groaned in frustration. He then turned to yell at Takeru. "And what are you doing!? This is your element! Takeru!?" As Leon turned, he noticed that Takeru was gone. Turning back, he noticed that the Darkness Demon was also missing. Focusing his attention back to his first target, the shadows began to reform back into its demon stature, but as it did, the other of the two appeared again to the left of Leon. His eyes widened. Leon was a sitting duck, and the darkness demon clasped its hands and then quickly opened them to fire off a giant orb of darkness towards the mage.

"Look out!" Natsu yelled from the side, but it was no good. The proximity was too close for Leon to move in time. Upon connection, a massive explosion of darkness occurred, smothering half the arena.

"Leon!"

"Relax!" Selene chimed in with a smile. On cue, an inhaling sound was heard from the arena. The excess darkness was now being sucked into one point. That one point, was Takeru. Once he finished eating the darkness, Tak wiped his mouth with his thumb - a sadistic grin appearing on his features. "At first I was skeptical about eating darkness from a demon. I didn't know if Arc's magic gave me that aspect. Seems like it was worth the risk."

"Arc's magic?" Leon turned to Arcturus, then back to Takeru. "You mean? You have demon slaying in you?"

"Long story, but..." A blackened aura began to flow from Takeru as he clinched his fists. From the sidelines, laughter was heard, and everyone turned to the source - Reve himself.

"I gotta say, Takeru! I've never seen a more impressive dragon slayer! Your power is limitless, I'll give you that!" He kept laughing for a minute before continuing; laughing as if he was in disbelief. He pushed his raven colored hair back, gradually stopping his laugh. "It's almost unbelievable what you are. First, you acquire Sting's white magic, basically becoming the second coming of the Rogue guy from the future. White Shadow it's called? Then when you were sick, Arc found a heart and gave you his Darkness Demon Slaying magic. I don't even know what to call that. Darkness...Shadow...Demonic Dragon?" Laughing once more, he stood up from his sitting position, everyone watching him as he stood in a cocky manner. "Now isn't the time for such things, but I just have to say. Way to represent this guild, kid. Now tear both of those demons limb from limb."

Takeru nodded once, powering out of his darkness state. "Don't worry. These two won't survive past this round.

"Hey.. I'm still here too." Leon stepped forward, pounding his fists together as acid magic literally dripped from them, burning small holes in the arena floor.

"Nice little speech there, Revey." Selene said, keeping her eyes on the potential match.

"Don't be stupid."

Selene turned to Reve after his response. "Haven't you been keeping up with him more than anyone? Takeru can't control that demon magic yet. It's like playing chance with it. You remember the first two times right? First, he couldn't control it at all. It was a good thing he was away from casualties. The second time, he was able to, by pure luck I'm sure. Takeru isn't any stronger than he was from a year ago, and everyone in White Eclipse knows why that is. His only objective is to end Arc. So what makes you think that he can control it now? It's a fifty fifty shot every time he enters that state, and we can't risk that right now."

Selene stared a bit longer, then, understanding where he was coming from, she turned away from the gunslinger to watch Takeru and Leon once more. "He'll be fine. I believe in you, Tak."

"Well, I guess I'll start out a bit slower then. Shadow Drive!"

A powerful stint of shadow magic aura fired up, causing Tak's hair to flow upward as black markings appeared on his arms and a bit on his face. Not to be out done, after feeling the magic pressure rise past his own, Leon's aura began to pulsate a greenish color. "Acid Drive."

"Third Generation too." Cobra continued to watch with an amused smirk on his face as the rising aura coated Leon - his and Takeru's now shaking the entire room. The fight was on.

The Darkness demon created another orb of darkness, firing it towards the two dragon slayers. Takeru quickly vanished, using the defensive aspect of his shadow drive. Leon on the other hand. Slamming his hands down, he created a wall of acid that absorbed the blow of the darkness orb, causing an explosion just on the other side and leaving Leon unharmed. With that attack halted, Leon withdrew the wall, and charged forward towards the darkness demon. At the last second however, Leon came to a sliding stop, only to turn direction and head for the shadow demon instead. He still had the Darkness Demon's eyes on him, which led to the perfect distraction as Takeru appeared behind the monstrosity - hovering right over its head. "Omega Shadow Dragon's Claw!"

Upon exclamation of his attack, Takeru flipped himself over and swung a shadow infused kick to the back of the Darkness Demon's skull. The beast slammed into the ground, quickly rising afterwards as it turned to face the culprit, Takeru. Leon on the other hand was closing in on the shadow demon itself. At first, he swung another shadow infused left hook; the demon disappearing before connection could be made. "Not this time!" Leon yelled as he quickly touched changed direction to follow the strings of shadows that were the demon. By the time it reformed, Leon was there, already prepping his next attack. "Acid Dragon's Snake Fang!"

Leon's entire body coated in acid as slammed into the shadow demon head first. At first, the blow sent the demon pushing back to the edge, but it stopped well short. Once it stopped its backwards slide however, the acid that coated Leon went off in a miniature explosion. That explosion struck the demon like a bomb, knocking it off its feet for a few seconds before it rose again. Red marks began to slightly show over its body, yet mostly on its abdomen. "Heh." Leon began to grin, covering his hands in his acid magic once more.

Takeru landed back to back with the Acid Dragon Slayer, facing the darkness demon while Leon faced the shadow. Exchanging glances, they both nodded before turning to face each other. Takeru placed his hands North/South with space between them as Leon did the same except East/West. In the middle of their hands, an orb of Acid and Shadow Dragon magic began to form.

"Unison Raid!" Sora yelled with glee, clapping joyously. Arc arched a brow to her reaction. "Sora, we don't cheer the other team."

She stopped. "Oh..sorry! Get em shadow demon!" She yelled, pointing back to the action. On command, the shadow demon was on the move, rearing back a right hand before swinging towards the two. At the same time...

"Shadow.."

"Acid.."

"Dragon's Beam!"

From the orb, a powerful been mixed with Shadow and Acid infused magic slammed into the swinging arm of the demon. Quickly, its arm was turning red with pain, as well as knocking the beast of its feet and sending it hurling towards the edge of the arena.

"It's done!" Natsu yelled prematurely, but before the demon could fall out of the arena, it phased into a shadow once more, disappearing into nothing more but strings of shadows before reappearing back into the arena.

"Dammit.." Takeru cursed under his breath as the demons surrounded him and Leon once more.

"Well, that was a fun warmup." Arcturus commented. Takeru turned to him, baring his teeth slightly just at the sight of him. "What's that? Got a trick up your sleeve?" The dragon slayer asked. Arc grinned. "Something like that. Do it."

On command, darkness began to peel from the demon itself. As seconds pass, the arena itself became shades and shades darker until...there wasn't a single shed of light left in the arena. Just like the aquatic demon before, only the arena was affected by the change, yet, now no one (without the ability to) could see inside the pitch black cube that covered the arena. Inside the arena however, only one person was affected by the handicap, and that was the Acid Dragon himself.

"Tch.." Leon shifted his eyes back and forth, trying to concentrate in the darkness. It was to no avail. He couldn't see a thing. "Takeru."

"I'm to your left. And yes, I can see fine. Stay close to me or they'll pick you off. I have a plan to help your sight, but don't move until I tell you."

"...Right." He sighed just a bit, having to rely on Tak during the fight. Still, he stood next to him, waiting anxiously for either his command, or the demons' next attack.

"We can't see anything!" Lucy yelled from the cage. "How are we supposed to know what happens!?"

"Wait patiently maybe? That should help." Reve replied, causing Lucy to puff her cheeks at him in annoyance. "It is kinda annoying though." Reve continued. "I'd like to see Tak rip these beasts apart. Not wait for the result because of some stupid darkness."

"Agreed." Luke added, nodding once.

"Question is though..will Leon be alright in there? He can't see either, can he?"

"Leon or not, Takeru will win this. Relax." Reve said as he took a seat against the bars at the back of the cage. "All we can do now is wait."

"Any moment now." Leon whispered as he waited quietly in the darkness. Passing seconds, what seemed like forever as he kept his ears perked - searching for his opponents. Suddenly, he felt a tug against the back of his collar. Unable to react in time, which was fortunate, Leon was pulled away by Takeru as the shadow demon appeared with a powerful fist slamming into the ground where he once stood. Leon gasped. He didn't even hear the demon coming. He really had to rely on Takeru here. "Thanks Takeru... Takeru?"

Leon began feeling for the dragon behind him, but came up empty. Takeru was gone just like that. "I thought you said stay together!" He yelled. While voicing his frustration, a low growl started beside him. Leon quickly turned, placing his arms up. A lucky guess as the darkness demon fired in a powerful shoulder barge like tackle against the dragon slayer. On contact however, Leon grabbed hold of the demon, sliding backwards as he held on. Though he wasn't slowing down anytime soon, Leon had a plan. Acid began to emit from his hands once more, dripping against the skin of the darkness demon. Shrieks of pain began to escape the demon, and on top of that, where his hands were, red spots became visible within the darkness. Leon was given hope, so he quickly moved his hands to a different spot on the demon. This time, his arms were wrapped around the waist, giving him better leverage as he shoved his feet into the arena ground - breaking up the rubble in order to stop his slide. With the acid still in play, the darkness demon finally stopped his shoulder tackle. This caused Leon to lose his grip on it, and teetered backwards. Before he could catch himself, the demon swung another punch. Leon barely caught whim of it, due to the red marks on its shoulders moving. Just swaying past the heavy blow, Leon quickly creates two orbs of acid in each palm. He then brought them together to create one large orb. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Beam!" The ball of acid was then pressed against the magic circle, and fired off like a cannon towards the chest of the demon before him. Sending the demon flying towards the other side of the demon, Leon panted slightly, counting his lucky stars that he was still in the fight. "Dammit Tak. If you're gonna ditch me, at least do something about this darkness."

Wish somewhat granted. On the other side, Takeru was in a back and forth against the shadow demon itself. It was practically a stalemate. Takeru was too fast for the demon to hit, yet anything Takeru threw at the demon was merely absorbed due to it being the dominant species of their element. Trying again however, as the demon swung another sweeping punch, Takeru leapt high into the air, directly above the demon.

"Leon if you're still alive, run towards the light."

As he spoke these words, the scales on Takeru's body began to mix with shadow and white. The white scales began illuminating, giving off a light that everyone in the room could see. At the same time, Takeru inhaled the air around him. "Roar...of the White Shadow Dragon!"

From directly overhead, Takeru fired the powerful funnel of white and shadow magic - the funnel swallowing the demon whole before exploding. As the debris and rubble vanished, the demon stood standing, red marks pulsating everywhere. "Come on...!" Takeru huffed in frustration. "These things are stronger than the ones controlling them!"

"That light!" Leon caught whim of Takeru's dual mode, and quickly ran over. Takeru's body was only illuminating about a fifth of the arena, but it was enough for Leon to confidently stand in. As he did, he wasted no time in lunging towards the beaten up demon.

"Acid Dragon's..!"

Before he could begin his attack, the darkness demon appeared in front of Leon - palms out as it struck the Acid Dragon with a fierce wave of darkness that violently slammed Leon into the ground. Just barely in the radius of Takeru's light, Leon punched the ground, leaving a fist sized crater as he slowly rose up to his feet. He coughed in pain before turning his angry eyes back to the demon who just struck him. "You're getting me upset."

A warning that fell on deaf ears. Leon's entire mood had shifted, just like when he fought Natsu before.

At the same time, with his eyes on the (temporarily) fallen Leon, Takeru lost track of one of the demons. A near fatal mistake as the shadow demon reappeared above Takeru, scoring a clubbing blow to the top of the Slayers head - knocking him into the arena floor and out of his dual mode. Before he could move, the darkness demon slammed a painful stomp to Takeru's sternum, causing him to cry out in unbearable pain. The demon of darkness would continue, landing stomp after stomp as Takeru writhed and screamed in pain.

Outside the darkened cube, Arcturus began laughing. "What's wrong? That can't be it, is it? Why are you holding back!?"

His laughter came to an abrupt halt as Sora tugged at his pant leg. "Arcy! I can't see!"

"Don't worry Sora, we're winning. You'll see soon." He replied, patting the young girl on the head.

As the demon continued to repeatedly stomp down on Takeru's body, he slowly began to black out. "I can't lose like this. This thing is going to kill me if I don't do something.. I have to. I have to take that risk."

Takeru bared his teeth, a darkened aura beginning to appear around him. The grin on Arc's face widened as he could feel the aura from where he stood. "That's right. What other choice do you have? I'm standing right here, Takeru. Come and get me."

Sora gave Arcturus a confused look, confused as to who he was talking to. But Takeru's ears heard him loud and clear. He had taken the bait. Suddenly, as the blackened aura grew, Takeru began inhaling the darkness that covered the arena. As seconds went by, it all began to disappear.

"What's happening?" Aloysis asked from the stands. Jikan Calium then followed up. "It seems like someone's eating the darkness?"

"Eating...that means...oh no." Reve stood up from his spot, and made his way to the front of the cage. "He's in that mode again. Question is..."

"Is he still Tak...?" Luke finished that question.

"Of course he is." Selene murmured, watching intently, waiting for the rest of the darkness to disappear.

A few seconds more, and the arena was visible once more. The demonic figure went for another stomp, only for Takeru to stop it with a single palm. The mage then slowly stood up, pushing the demon off as he rose to his feet. The strength behind his push left the demon teetering, and before it could recover, with incredible speed, Takeru slammed a heavy fist directly in the demon's face - smashing it against the arena floor as a crater the size of its head formed. Takeru stood once more, head lowered as the dark aura radiated off of him.

"Arc's magic." Rugal noted. "He's pretty dangerous right now without any magic sealers on him."

"I'm pretty sure that's what Arc wanted." Daityas chimed in for the first time, looking over towards the Darkness Demon Slayer. Arcturus had an excited grin on his features as he scooted Sora away from his person.

"Well!?" Arc yelled towards Takeru. "I'm who you want, right!?"

Like a deranged animal, Takeru turned, and pounced towards Arc, out of bounds. Not like he cared. His pure black eyes signified that he wasn't in his right mind.

Tobias then quickly raised his hand. "Takeru is out of the arena! He's disqualified!"

"Do you need any help there, Arc?" Rugal asked as Arc continuously backed away, evading each on Takeru's attempted to claw or grab at him. Arc didn't answer. He only kept laughing. Rugal then shrugged. "I'll take that as a no. At least take it away from here."

Tobias then turned back to the demon that Takeru laid waste to. It was still breathing but...

"Did he knock it out?" Tobias asked.

"Count and find out you idiot!" Kiora exclaimed. After a sour look to her, Tobias began counting.

"7...8...9...10... Wow, the darkness demon is unconscious. That just leaves Leon and the shadow demon. Are we really just going to let Arc and Takeru run around like that?"

Daityas turned an unamused eye to the fight outside the arena. "Let them go. Arcturus obviously can't wait to play with his toy. As long as they don't interrupt the tournament."

"Don't worry." Arc chimed in. "This won't take long. I just want to see something."

"Takeru!"

"It's too late. He's long gone. Hopefully he doesn't jeopardize our lives as well." Reve said as he watched on.

"Don't give up on him now." Luke responded, causing Reve to scoff. "He knew what he was getting into. I hope he can snap out of it though.."

Back in the ring, the shadow demon turned his attention back to Leon who had his head lowered. Staring at the ground, Leon began to pant heavily, shoulders dramatically moving with each angered huff. As he did so, acid began to fall from every part of his body, corroding the floor.

"It seems Takeru isn't the only problem." Sidney commented, nodding towards Leon.

Natsu looked over, noticing the familiar stare. "I remember that look. He's got like anger issues or something right?"

Sidney then shook his head. "Something about the angrier he gets, the stronger he becomes, but he also loses control. And by the looks of it now...

Leon is on the brink of losing control."


End file.
